Surviving Loves Obstacles
by Jasmineisland
Summary: Kevin and Lucy deal with the aftermath of a violent act.
1. Default Chapter

"Dr. Collins?" 

Turning, Kevin saw a small woman that he recognized as being one of his patients wives. She stared at him for a moment, taking a deep breath. "I really need to talk to you for a moment." 

"Of course, Mandy. I'm free for a few minutes now, if you'd like to come to my office." 

"No." She shook her head. "This won't take long. I. I just can't do this anymore." 

"Do what?" 

"Deal with him." She shrugged. "I know the meds, and the therapy is supposed to be helping, but..." 

"Another episode?" Kevin was worried. 

"Episode." She laughed sarcastically. "I love that. You make it sound like some idiotic sitcom." Her eyes took on an angry glare, and she stepped closer to him. "Why don't you call it what it is? An out of control need to punch anyone that gets close to him." 

"Mandy, did he hit you again?" Stepping closer to her, he kept his voice low. "I didn't think he was ready to come home yet. But-" 

"But the insurance wouldn't pay. I know, but I also know I can't live like this anymore." Now she began to cry. "I know how hard he's trying, but I can't take it." 

Kevin reached for her arm, but she pulled away, shaking her head. 

"NO! I have to go. I have to get as far away from him as I can. Look, I appreciate everything you've tried to do for both of us, but I just can't stay." Before Kevin could reply, she stepped back. "My plane leaves in an hour. I can't stick around. I will probably call him at some point, I know I won't be able to help myself. But for right now, I have to protect myself. Can you understand that?" 

Kevin nodded. "Of course I can. I can't begin to imagine what it's been like for you. Trent's got a lot of anger inside him. And I know how many times he's hurt you." 

"No, you don't." Mandy shook her head. "Not as much since you started treating him, but before..." Taking a deep breath, she sighed. "I don't want to do this. I know he doesn't mean it, but he needs more than I can give him. And I'm NOT going to be his punching bag anymore." Without another word, she turned and left Kevin standing in the hallway alone. 

Taking a deep breath, he thought about how his next session with Trent was going to go. He'd been treating Trent for about three months, since the last time Trent had put Mandy in the emergency room. For the last 4 weeks Trent had been voluntarily committed to the psych ward. Upon the end of Insurance covering his treatment, Kevin had been forced to reluctantly discharge him. Apparently, his diagnosis had been correct. Realizing that he would probably hear from Trent later, he signed himself out and left the hospital. 

Trent watched Kevin get in his car, and grit his teeth. The note Mandy had left him said that she'd told Kevin she was leaving, and Trent was convinced that Kevin knew where she was. All he had to do was follow him to find her. 

Not knowing he was being followed, Kevin drove to Lucy's house. She'd left him a message earlier and asked him to meet her for lunch and 'whatever else came to mind'. Smiling at the 'whatever else' that came to his mind, he turned the radio on and hoped Lucy had the same 'whatever else' in mind that he did. 

When Kevin pulled into the driveway, Trent continued driving. Once he was safe distance down the street, he got out of his car and walked back towards the house. He was sure Mandy was there, and as soon as Kevin left, he'd go talk to her. 

Lucy heard the door open, and came out of the bedroom smiling. "Hi, you. Glad you could make it." 

"With an invitation like that, how could I refuse?" Reaching for her, he pulled her into his arms and kissed her. The soft material of the silky white sundress she was wearing slid across her back as he held her. 

After a few minutes, Lucy pulled away, shaking her head. "I almost forgot. I promised you lunch." She turned and headed for the kitchen. Staring at her, Kevin grinned. "You also promised me whatever else came to mind." 

"Well, first, I had Café Matisse deliver. As far as whatever else…." She grinned back at him. "I didn't think we needed any help there." Deliberately, she stopped and turned to face him in front of the picture window. Her dress was completely transparent with the light behind her and Kevin realized she was nude underneath. 

"Gotta tell you, there are a LOT of whatevers going through my mind right about now." Smiling, he let his eyes travel slowly down her body, admiring every curve of her shape under the dress. 

"Good. That was the general idea." Still smiling, she turned and went in the kitchen. "I ordered grilled chicken. Hope that's okay."

"Perfect." 

"The wine's on the bar." Her voice carried out of the kitchen. "You want to open it?" 

"Already doing it." Taking two glasses of wine, he sat at the table and waited for her. 

When she reappeared, she had two dishes full of food for them. Placing his in front of him, she sat next to him and looked at him. Saying nothing, Kevin continued to stare at her. 

"What?" 

"You." His hand reached for her and he gently touched her cheek. Staring into his eyes, Lucy tilted her head into his hand. When his fingers brushed her lips, she took his index finger in her mouth and sucked on it. 

Shifting in his chair, he glanced at the table quickly before meeting her eyes again. "You know, this looks great, but....." With his other hand, he reached for her hand. "You look SO much better." 

Laughing softly, Lucy allowed him to pull her into his lap. "I was hoping you'd see things that way." 

She leaned to him, and he kissed her neck, working down her smooth skin to her collarbone. Shivering, she smiled at him. Before he could pull her to him for another kiss, her eyes caught the plate in front of him. Reaching for it, she broke off a piece of the chicken and put it in her mouth. "This is delicious." 

As she placed a piece in his mouth, he laughed. "You have a one track mind." 

"Two. But I'm great at multitasking." Still holding the chicken she leaned to him and kissed him. This time her tongue traced his lips, probing into his mouth gently. 

"Great." He kissed her again. "Grab the plate." As he lifted her in his arms, Lucy grabbed the plate and tried to hold it steady. Laughing, he carried her to the bedroom. As he started to lower her, and the plate shifted in her hands. She squealed as some of the sauce landed on her chest just above her dress. Once she was on the bed, she put the plate on the nightstand and reached for a tissue. 

Kevin took her hand gently. "I'll get it." 

Smiling, she handed him the tissue, which he threw on the floor beside the bed. He leaned over her, tracing the line the sauce had left on her skin with his tongue. Inhaling sharply, she tilted her head back to give him better access to her skin. Her hands reached for his tie, undoing it and then starting on the buttons to his shirt. 

Alternating between licking and kissing her skin, Kevin helped her take off his jacket and shirt before pushing her down on the bed. Once he was lying beside her, he ran his hand over her body, sliding the soft material of her dress along her sides. His hands continued over her stomach, tracing the lines of the taunt muscles below her ribs. 

Lucy watched him as he explored her body. His eyes were practically devouring her even as his hand made it's way up to her breast. Holding her breast with his hand, he traced his thumb over her nipple. She involuntarily shivered under his touch, and he smiled at her. His hand slid up to her face and he caressed her softly before leaning down and kissing her lips.

Shifting her body so she was almost facing him, Lucy slid her leg up between his until her thigh was against him. She could feel how much he wanted her and it made her want him even more. Her fingers trailed across his shoulder and up to his face, then back into his hair as he tilted his head and smiled. 

Their eyes met, and it was an intense moment between them. Each one recognized the dark desire behind the other's eyes, and Lucy licked her lips. As she did, Kevin leaned over quickly and briefly touched her tongue with his own as she glided it across her own lips. 

Laughing, she clenched his hair and held him while she touched his tongue with her own again, this time drawing him gently into her mouth. As he rolled over on her, his hand slid down her body again, and back up to her breast. This time he massaged her, cupping her entire breast in his hand and squeezing gently. Not breaking their kiss, Lucy moved closer to him, running her hand down his side and over his hip. Deciding that he had far too many clothes on, Lucy tugged at his belt and started to laugh when she realized that the one handed approach wasn't going to work. 

Finally breaking their kiss, Kevin laughed. "Need some help?"

Together, they undid his belt and pushed his pants down to his knees, where he kicked them off to follow his shoes to the floor beside the bed. Then he turned to her, pulling her against him. This time he kissed her hungrily, his mouth taking hers and his hands running over her. Her back arched and she pressed her body against his, using the silky material of her dress to slide along the length of him. He moved closer, sliding between her legs with only her dress between them. The sensations of the soft material combined with the heat of being so close to her made him moan softly in her ear. 

Smiling, Lucy brought her legs together, effectively trapping him against her. Growing harder, he thrust himself against her gently. A shudder ran through her, and she reached her arms around his neck. His hands roamed over her, sliding down her hips and up to her arms. Their eyes met again, and Kevin stared at her. 

For a moment, the depth of her gaze took his breath away. Finally he touched her face gently, never breaking eye contact. "I can't begin to tell you what I'm feeling right now."

"You don't have to." She whispered to him. "I'm feeling it, too." 

Her lips met his once, gently, then she was staring into his eyes again. "I've always felt it. Every time you look at me." 

He appeared to be concentrating on her, and she smiled. "What?"

"You. I mean, the way you look at me. No. The way you look INTO me." 

"I love you." Breathless, Lucy pulled him to her and kissed him. He thrust against her again, and she sighed. He was hard against her, and the material allowed him to slide back and forth between her legs. 

Afraid of losing control, Kevin pulled away from her and slid his hand down her body, caressing her breast before moving farther down. Still using her dress against her skin, he moved his hand down in a slow circular motion until he was stroking her between her legs. The pressure from his hand through the slick material created an erotic sensation that made Lucy hold him closer to her and run her hand down his side. When her hand reached his hip, she trailed her fingers over and gripped him gently. 

When she tightened her grip slightly, his breath came out in a soft gasp. His lips met hers in a heated, carnal kiss, and he pressed harder against her body. Her body trembled from the sharp breath she took, and he leaned over her. "I can't wait." 

"Me, either." She whispered into his mouth. 

His hands frantically pushed her dress up over her hips as he moved over her. Staring into her eyes, he spoke a simple truth from his heart. "I have to have you." 

Her answer was just as simple and just as directly from her heart. "I'm yours." 

Their eyes stayed locked on each other's as he slowly entered her. Lucy took a shuddering breath and tilted her head back, but she kept her gaze into his. Propping himself up over her with one hand, he took her hip with the other and held her still. He took a few deep breaths and moved slowly out of her before sliding gently back inside of her. 

Lucy clenched his arms with her hands and licked her lips. Stopping as far inside her as he could go, he leaned down to her and kissed her. He bent the arm he was leaning on, and let his weight fall to his elbow, still holding her still with the other hand. Finally he broke their kiss and trailed his lips to her neck, savoring the taste of her skin. She moved her hands to his back, dragging her fingers over him. 

His tongue on her neck made her shiver and it sent a ripple through Kevin. "Lucy." He moaned her name into her neck. The way her body clenched around him almost drove him over the edge. 

Gripping her hair, Kevin thrust again, this time a bit faster. Lucy sighed, more of a bit of a whimper, and kissed him. Her body shifted as she moved towards him, and he groaned from the effort it took to not lose control. His mouth met hers again, this time he didn't stop, and his tongue pressed between her lips. 

Taking him into her mouth, she moved her hand back to his hair and held him. Focused on kissing her, Kevin moved in and out of her a few times quickly. 

Pulling away from him, Lucy put her head back and whispered his name. He finally let go of her hip and reached his arm up under her to hold her shoulder. With a heated sense of urgency, Kevin held her and thrust into her so hard her body shook with every movement. Taking him all the way inside her, Lucy wrapped her arms around him and slid her fingers around his shoulder blades. He felt every movement in her muscles as she tilted her hips to him, and he couldn't hold back any longer. Gripping her tighter, he moved faster, continuing to thrust into her as far as he could go. Her muscles tensed, and she braced herself against his shoulders. The energy between them intensified, creating a rhythm they'd both only known together. When their eyes met, they both stopped for a moment, breathless. Kevin moved again, and they both cried out. Finally his body shook, and Lucy ran her hands through his hair as he came inside her body. 

They held each other tightly long after the last ripple had passed through both of them. When Kevin finally lifted his head and looked at her, her eyes met his evenly. Another shudder passed through Kevin, and he touched her face. "You're so incredible." Smiling, she shrugged. 

"I didn't mean like that, well, I mean, that was incredible too, but....." He answered her smile with one of his own. "I mean YOU. All of you. Lucy, I…." His mind searched for the words, but he couldn't find any. He pulled her closer to him and kissed her. With a great deal of effort, he slid out of her and rolled over on his back. 

Rolling over on her stomach, Lucy put her chin on his chest. 

Smiling, he reached down and rubbed her back, which was still covered by her dress. Her eyes drifted across him and caught the plate on the nightstand. Literally crawling over him, she reached for it. 

When he realized what she was after, he began to laugh. "Back to that one track mind." His hands stroked her legs as they stretched across his body. As she pulled the chicken apart, he smiled. An evil thought crossed his mind, and he lightly traced his finger up the back of her leg and continued up to her waist. Before he could get over her ass, she squealed and pulled away from him. Laughing, he leaned up behind her and ran his fingers across her back. 

"This is delicious." She continued to eat as he watched her. As he pushed the hair off her face, she turned and fed him some of the chicken she had in her hand. Still chewing, he leaned over and kissed her arm, then he smiled at her. 

Finally she looked at him. "What are you laughing at?"

"I'm not laughing at anything. I'm just watching you. You're the only person I've ever seen turn eating into an erotic experience." 

"Well, if you do it right...." Smiling, she dipped her finger in the sauce on the plate before feeding him a piece of chicken. He took the chicken with his mouth, and slid his lips over her finger, savoring every drop of the sauce. Following it quickly with her lips, Lucy leaned over him and kissed him gently. 

Laughing, Kevin pulled her into his arms and held her against him. She snuggled against him, but continued to eat. "I guess I need to feed you more often." 

"Okay." Smiling at him, she nodded. "Why don't we….." Her smile faltered as her voice trailed off. 

"What?"

"Never mind." She pretended to concentrate on the food in her hand, but Kevin knew something was bothering her. 

"Lucy...." Taking her face, he forced her to look at him. 

"Nothing! I swear." At his stare, she shrugged. "I was just going to suggest going out for dinner. But I know you can't." Before he could answer, she sat up and put her back to him. "I'm not pressuring you, Doc. I'm not. I swear. I just wish you could…." She took a deep breath, and kept her back to him.

"Talk to me, Lucy." Sitting up behind her, he reached for her hand. "Please?" 

Lucy sighed, and Kevin knew she was close to tears. He waited, knowing that when she could, she'd say it. 

"I was about to say I wish you could tell your... your wife about us, and I just realized..." Her voice broke, but she forced herself to continue. "I just realized how many times in my life I've said that."

A stab went through Kevin, and he sat up next to her. "I'm going to tell her, Lucy." 

She winced and turned away from him. 

"Lucy, I love you. I want to be with you. The only thing right now is that I don't know where Eve is. You know she left town, and I want her to hear about us from me, not from the gossip mill."

"I know. It's okay." She turned back to him, and he could see how much pain she was feeling. "I believe you. And I told you I'd wait as long as it takes." 

Kevin knew she was trying to convince herself, but there was nothing he could say to make it better. Eve was still out of town somewhere, and she did deserve to hear about him and Lucy from him. But he knew that there had been other married men who had made the same promises to her, and he sounded just like the rest of them to her at that moment. Gently, he wrapped his arms around her. "Lucy, you know that if there were anything left between Eve and me, I wouldn't be here. There isn't. You're the one I want to be with. As soon as she resurfaces, I'll tell her. I promise." 

She didn't answer. 

"I love you, Lucy. I'm sorry I don't feel right about everyone finding out until Eve knows, but I can't help that. She deserves better then that from me." 

"Yeah, like she thought you deserved so much when she-" She shook her head again. "I'm not doing this. I know you love me, and I love you. I don't want to fight with you. I do understand. I'll be okay." 

He sighed. "Look, I have to get back to the hospital. But dinner does sound great. Can we meet back here say around 7? I'll bring dinner, and we can spend the entire evening cuddling in front of the fire?" 

Forcing a smile, she nodded. "Sounds great. I have this new black nightgown you'll love." Before he could think about what she said, she pulled away and left the bedroom. Her words sunk in, and he stood. Pulling his pants on, he followed her to the dining room and put his arms around her. "Lucy."

She leaned against him, but didn't look at him. 

"Look at me." When she did, he touched her face. "This has nothing to do with sex, Lucy. That's not why I'm here and you know that." 

Nodding, she still didn't answer him. 

Sitting in a chair, he pulled her by the hands to stand in front of him. "I'm not going to deny that making love to you is the most incredible thing I've ever experienced. It is. But it's NOT why I'm here. We went almost three years without making love to each other. We married other people. But we always ended up right here. When something good happened, I couldn't wait to tell you. When something bad happened, I knew you could always make it better. Fate. Destiny. The Universe. Whatever you want to call it, this is it. US."

"We just have to wait for your wife." She sighed and touched his face gently. "Doc, I know in my heart that you love me, and we're going to be together. I just.." 

"Shouldn't have to wait for me, and I'm sorry." He kissed her hands and looked at her. "You deserve so much better then this." 

"Now you stop it." Squeezing his hands, she sighed. "I know you want to do this the right way. And I understand. I do. Really. And I promised to wait for you and I will." 

She kissed him softly, and he pulled her into his lap. "The day she gets back, I'll tell her. I really will, Lucy. If I knew where she was, I'd tell her today." 

Any reply she was going to give him was interrupted by his pager rattling on the table. Sighing, she handed it to him. 

"I have to call in." Lifting her to her feet gently, he went to the phone. After a short conversation, he hung up and turned to her. 

"I know. You have to go." 

Wrapping his arms around her, he kissed her neck. "Guess you're going to have to get used to life with a doctor again." 

"I'm going to love it." Smiling, she kissed him goodbye. "7." 

"Sharp." He kissed the end of her nose. "I love you." 

"I love you to. Now go. before I decide you can't go." After he was out the door, she sighed and took the plates to the kitchen.


	2. Surviving Loves Obstacles Chapter 2

Trent watched Kevin pull out of the driveway and moved closer to the house. All he had to do was find Mandy. Then he'd be fine. The thought that she'd tired to leave him made him furious, and the only thing going through his mind was that she'd have to pay. 

Not knowing there was anyone watching her house, Lucy poured herself another glass of wine. Everything that had been said between her and Kevin replayed itself in her mind. She wanted to believe him with all her heart, but it was too good to be true. Sighing, she took the wine and went out into the back yard. The sun was shining brightly overhead, and she wished her mood was as bright. It should be, Kevin was with her, and he was going to stay with her this time. But, once again, Eve was causing trouble in her life. By running away from Kevin and not telling him the truth, she'd left Kevin feeling guilty about not telling her. Shaking her head, she searched the yard for Sigmund. She hoped he hadn't escaped again, and walked towards the fence line calling him. 

Hearing him quacking, she sighed in relief and turned towards the house. As she reached the door, she was startled to see a man standing in the doorway. 

"Who are you?" She stared at him. 

"I'm looking for Mandy."

"Mandy?" Lucy repeated the name and shook her head. "I have no idea who that is." There was something not right about him, and Lucy was instantly nervous. Glancing around her, she was also instantly sorry she'd had such a good fence installed. It kept Sigmund from escaping, but it also kept her caged in front of this man. Mentally, she tried to judge if she could make it to the gate on the other side of the house before he got any closer to her. 

Trent stared at the woman in front of him, knowing she was lying to him. Mandy was there, he could feel it, and he'd make her tell him where. 

Lucy watched his eyes travel over her, and she shuddered. The dress she was wearing had made her feel confident and seductive for Kevin, but now it only made her feel vulnerable and exposed. Deciding the back door was her best bet, she inched sideways, looking for a way around him. 

"She's here. You're keeping her away from me." Trent advanced on her, and began to yell. "Where is she!" 

Shaking her head, Lucy stared at him. "I don't know who you're talking about! I'll help you if you tell me who she is-" 

"DON'T! You sound just like him!" He began to shake from the anger building in him, and Lucy realized she had to get away from him. She inched a little closer to the house, glancing at the door again before meeting his eyes. 

"You helped him, didn't you! Where is she! Where is Mandy! You know where she is, and you-" 

Lucy tried to make a run for it. She made it past him, and was about one step from the door when he caught up with her. His hand hit the center of her back and sent her into the doorjamb. Instinctively, she put her hands up to protect her face, but her ribs caught the brunt of the force. Her own momentum combined with him pushing her into the wood frame knocked the wind out of her and she fell. Before she could hit the ground, Trent caught her by the hair and dragged her inside. As she tried to catch her breath, she still struggled with him, and it only enraged him further. 

"Just tell me where she is! That's all I need! Where is Mandy?!" He jerked her by the hair to emphasize his words. 

Finally her breath returned, and she screamed at him. "I don't know! I don't know anyone named Mandy!" 

"Don't lie to me!" Still holding her hair, he slapped her face with his other hand. 

She pulled her hand up to her face, feeling the sting where he'd connected with her. As she blinked away the tears in her eye from the slap, she realized she was wasting her time fighting with him. Better to wait until he relaxed his grip in her hair and try to break free. 

"I know you know where she is! He told you, and you're hiding her! MANDY!" His screams echoed through the house as he called for her. Tears ran down his face and he screamed her name several more times. As his grip finally relaxed a bit, Lucy pulled away from him. The pain seared through her head from the few strands of hair he'd managed to hang onto, but she tried to crawl to her feet and away from him. 

She'd almost made it to her feet when he caught her arm and jerked her back towards him. Screaming, she tired to pull away from him, but he pulled his fist back and punched her in the small of her back. Between the pain in her ribs and the sharp stab of burning in her back, she fell again. This time he kneeled beside her. 

"What's in it for you?! Why are you doing this? She's my wife! And I need her!" Staring at her, he watched her as she tried to move away from him. "Tell me where she is!" He hit her again, this time between her shoulders, and she fell face first into the floor. The instant she hit the floor, blood started to pour from her nose onto the tile, and when he reached for her and pulled her over on her back, it started to run down her throat and she choked. 

As she choked her body shook and he stared at her. "This is it, isn't it! He makes her leave me, destroys my life, and comes over here to you. Let me guess, he fucks you and you help him, right?" 

She realized he was talking about Kevin, and she looked at him through the tears in her eyes. 

"This is great, you know that? All this time, I believed he wanted to help me! The whole time he was trying to destroy me! He took her away from me and ran to you! As long as his life is going along he doesn't give a damn what he's done to mine, right?! Did you two laugh about it?" He leaned over her and gripped her dress. "Where is my wife?" She couldn't have answered him if she wanted to. Drawing a breath felt like a knife going into her side and choking sent ripples of pain through her. 

"He thinks he's won, doesn't he? He thinks he got away with it! HE DIDN'T! DO YOU HEAR ME? HE DIDN'T GET AWAY WITH ANYTHING!" 

She felt his hands groping at her dress, and she realized what he intended to do to her. With a sudden terror induced strength, she reached for him and tried to shove him away from her. She succeeded in knocking him off balance, but she couldn't move fast enough to get away from him. 

"Who in the hell do you think you are?" He slapped her again and with her head already lying on the floor her face was forced to take the entire force of the blow. She was momentarily stunned, and that was all he needed to release himself from his jeans. 

She felt him between her legs, but her body wouldn't respond for a second. In that second, it was over, and he was inside her. Feeling like he was tearing her apart, she reached for his face, scratching him as he thrust into her. 

He screamed and punched her in the side. When his fist connected with the side that had already hit the doorjamb, she couldn't even cry out from the pain. Quickly, he finished with her and stared at her as if realizing where he was for the first time. 

Staring at the ceiling, Lucy was trying to block out where she was, and what was happening to her. Just as suddenly as it started, it was over. Trent was kneeling over her, touching her face, gently wiping the blood away from her cheeks. He was whispering, and it took Lucy a few moments to realize that he was whispering "I'm sorry." Over and over. 

She laid still, wondering what was next. Her entire body was trembling from the combination of pain and anger at what had just happened to her. His crying confused her and she waited for him to stop. He didn't stop crying, but he got to his feet, pulling his jeans up as he did. When he moved away from her, she sighed. The urge to just close her eyes and block out everything overwhelmed her, and she rolled over on her side. 

Trent ran to the phone and lifted it towards his ear. But before he could even turn it on, he changed his mind. Running back to her, he leaned over the silently sobbing woman at his feet. 

"Here... I'm sorry. I didn't mean to..Oh, God..." She stopped shaking, and she was so still that he panicked. "Here.." Dropping the phone by her hand, he stepped back. "I'm leaving... I'm sorry." After the door closed, Lucy saw the phone, but she couldn't bring herself to reach for it. Instead, she began to cry again, this time she wasn't sure she'd ever stop.   



	3. Surviving Loves Obstacles Chapter 3

Livvie checked her watch as she turned down the street. She was hoping that Lucy would have time to have dinner with her. If she wasn't busy. Livvie smiled to herself. She knew there was something going on between Lucy and her father, but as long as he was married to Eve, they wouldn't say anything. Every time she'd asked Lucy, Lucy had just smiled and said she wasn't giving up. And Kevin had just told her that as soon as Eve returned from wherever she'd run off to, he'd tell her everything. That alone had pretty much confirmed Livvie's suspicions, but she knew that neither one of them would tell her until they were ready. 

When she pulled into Lucy's driveway, the first thing she noticed was the front door sitting open. Getting out of her car, she walked to the door and called Lucy's name. Not getting a response, she stepped inside and looked around. Everything looked okay, and Livvie called her again. 

Something was in the kitchen, and Livvie walked slowly towards it, not sure she wanted to know what she was going to find. As she rounded the corner, she saw Lucy, still lying on the floor where Trent had left her. Screaming Lucy's name, Livvie bent down beside her. 

Lucy had managed to grasp the phone, but she still hadn't begun to dial when she heard Livvie's voice. Her left eye had already swollen to the point she couldn't open it, and she tried to turn to look at Livvie with the right one, but moving brought on a fresh wave of pain and she cried out. 

"Don't move! Oh my God, what happened to you?" 

Carefully, Lucy reached for Livvie's hand and squeezed it. "I'll be okay." 

"Okay!? Lucy!" Livvie started to cry. "I'm going to call 911." 

"No. Just help me up." Her words were slurred from the swelling in her cheek and lip. 

Against her better judgment, Livvie took Lucy's arm and helped her to her feet. Lucy tried to stifle the cry of pain at moving, but she couldn't. Before she was completely standing, a stabbing pain ran through her body, and she leaned on Livvie. Almost falling with her, Livvie managed to support her and moved her towards the living room. There was blood practically all over Lucy, and Livvie couldn't begin to tell where it had all come from. 

"Sofa." Lucy whispered the word, and Livvie shook her head. 

"No. Lucy you have to go to the hospital." 

"Livvie, I." She inhaled sharply from a pain in her side, and the pain from inhaling so sharply made her stumble again. Fighting it, she began to cry again. 

"Lucy, you either let me call an ambulance, or you make it out to the car!" Livvie was openly crying, and she wasn't going to take no for an answer. 

After staring at her for a moment, Lucy realized Livvie was right. "Car." Slowly, they made their way out to Livvie's car, and by the time they got there, Lucy was completely leaning on Livvie to stay on her feet. After putting her in the car, Livvie ran to the driver's side and got in. Taking a deep breath, Livvie stared at Lucy for a moment before starting the car. The look on Lucy's face really scared her. It was like she wasn't even there. 

"Lucy?"

Lucy was doubled over, leaning sideways against the back of the seat while she stared at the dashboard. 

"Yeah." She whispered, and Livvie had to strain to hear her. 

"We're only a few minutes from GH." 

"Okay." 

Every bump in the road made Lucy out, and Livvie felt terrible, but there was nothing she could do.   


  
Kevin had about five minutes before his next patient, and he picked up the phone. It was against his better judgment, a phone call to Lucy that lasted only five minutes was a delusion, but he had an overwhelming urge to call her. He smiled at the thought, and he knew that for some reason he had to hear her voice. 

Before he could finish dialing her number, his door opened, and Trent burst into his office. Kevin stared at him for a moment, his mind taking a moment to register the fact that he had blood all over him. Standing, Kevin walked around his desk and reached Trent as he sat in a chair. 

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean it."

"What? Trent! Look at me! What happened?!"

Crying, Trent looked at Kevin for a moment before staring back at the ground. "I lost it. I lost it again and I hurt her!" 

Kevin instantly thought that Mandy hadn't made the flight. For some reason, she was still in Port Charles. 

"Where is Mandy, Trent?" 

"You know where she is! You made her leave! And I hurt her. I didn't mean to. It wasn't her fault. But I hurt her." Trent was completely hysterical, and Kevin tried to make out his words. "I couldn't stop. She was screaming, and it hurt my head. So I hit her. I couldn't stop myself. I hurt her. I think I killed her." 

Kevin was in a panic. Picking up his phone, he called for an orderly to bring a sedative and arranged for Trent to be admitted again. His second call was to Mac. Giving him Trent's address, he told Mac that Trent had apparently lost it with Mandy, and she could be seriously injured. 

As they were taking Trent out of Kevin's office, Kevin's next appointment arrived. It was all Kevin could do to push Trent and Mandy out of his mind and concentrate on the man in front of him.   


  
Pulling up to ER, Livvie jumped out of her car and ran inside. The first person she saw was Ian. She grabbed his arm and pulled him around to face her. 

Ian started to smile, but when he saw Livvie's face, he stopped. "What's wrong?" 

"She needs help." Livvie started to drag Ian towards the door. 

Yelling at Karen to tell his patient he'd be right back, he followed Livvie through the double doors. "Who, Livvie? You have to tell me.." His voice trailed off when he saw Lucy sitting in Livvie's car. Her back was to him, and there was blood on the back of her dress. Kneeling beside the car, Ian gently reached for Lucy's arm.

"Lucy?" He whispered her name. 

She jumped when he touched her, and then cried out on pain. Slowly, she turned her face to his, and Ian couldn't hide his shock at the sight of her. "Oh, my God. What happened to you?" 

"I scared Livvie." 

"You're scaring me right now." Turning to Livvie, Ian reached for the crying woman. "Livvie, go tell Karen I need a gurney out her." Ian touched Lucy's hand and wasn't surprised to find it ice cold. "And blankets. She's in shock." 

Once Livvie had disappeared, Ian leaned closer to Lucy, keeping his voice low and soothing. "Lucy, we're gonna help you, but you have to tell me what happened." 

"Find Doc. He's after him." 

"I'll find Kevin, but right now I'm worried about you. Talk to me, Lucy. What happened to you?" 

"I don't know who he was." Tears came, and Lucy began to tremble again. When she felt Ian inch closer, she began to cry harder. 

Before he could question her again, Karen appeared with a gurney and Livvie following her with blankets. All Karen had understood was that Lucy was hurt, and she was shocked at the sight of her. 

Waving for Karen to bring the gurney closer, Ian put his hand gently on Lucy's back. "Come on, Lucy. Let's get you inside." 

Lucy tried to turn around, but it was too painful. Shifting his legs, he reached around her. "Lean back. I got you." 

Slowly, Lucy leaned back into Ian's arms and he lifted her gently out of the car. Trying not to hurt her, Ian laid her on the gurney and covered her with the blankets that Livvie handed him. Lucy rolled over on her side and brought her legs up, still crying. Karen stayed to the side of the gurney in case she slid to the side as Ian pushed it inside. 

Watching Ian and Karen take Lucy inside, Livvie pulled out her cell and paged Kevin. But instead of waiting for him to call back, she ran inside the hospital, hoping he was there.   


  
As the patient in front of Kevin was trying to come to terms with the problems that had brought him there, Kevin's mind was busy trying to come to terms with what he thought had happened to Mandy. His intercom came to life, and he jumped. A very apologetic secretary told him that Mac was on the phone, and it was an emergency. 

Apologizing to his patient, Kevin picked up the phone. 

"There's no one here, Kevin. Where else could we look?"

His mind raced, but the truth was he had no idea where to point Mac next. "She's somewhere, Mac. I'll try to talk to him in a few minutes." 

"Okay. I've got an APB out on her car, and we're going to search the surrounding area. If' she's here, we'll find her." 

"Thanks, Mac." Hanging up, he stared at his patient. "I'm sorry. All I can tell you is that it was VERY important." 

"I got that." The man smiled at Kevin. "It's okay." 

"You were right in the middle of-" A sharp knock on the door preceded the door opening. For a split second, Kevin almost expected Lucy to be there, but he was surprised to see Livvie standing there, screaming "Dad". Her crying drowned out Kevin's voice as he asked her what was wrong. When she reached him, she wrapped her arms around him and cried harder. 

Helpless, Kevin stared at his patient, who stood and smiled. "Let's say we try this again next week. I'd say your daughter needs you more then I do right now." 

"I'm sorry..." 

"Hey, I've got kids. Don't worry about it. I'll call tomorrow and reschedule." Before Kevin could say anything else, he walked out the door. 

Pulling away from Livvie, he held her shoulders gently. "What is it, Livvie? Did you and Jack have a fight?" 

"NO!" She screamed at him, and stopped to catch her breath. "I didn't know what else to do. She wouldn't let me call an ambulance, so I made her get in the car. I've never seen anything like it, Dad. He beat her so badly." 

"Who?" Kevin became alarmed. Almost shaking her, he stared in her eyes. "Beat who, Livvie?" 

"Lucy." 

Kevin's heart skipped a beat, and he grabbed her hands. "Where is she?" 

"ER, I-" Before she could finish her sentence, Kevin was dragging her out the door and towards the elevator.   


When Ian and Karen had Lucy in a cubicle, they began to examine her. Taking Lucy's hand, Ian whispered to her. "We're going to help you, Lucy, but you have to tell us what happened." 

"He was just there." She whispered, squeezing his hand. 

"Let me have a look at your face." Gently, he pushed her hair back off her face and stared at the massive bruise that covered the left side of her face. Shining a light in her eyes to check for a concussion, he shook his head. "We're gonna need some X-rays here. Full series of her face and head." 

Karen left the room for a moment, and Ian took Lucy's hand again. "I need to know, Lucy, where else are you hurt?" 

"My ribs. Think he broke them. Hurts....hurts to breathe." 

"Let's have a look, then." Moving the blanket down, he reached to slide her dress up. Lucy jumped, literally smacking his hand away from her. Staring at her, Ian realized what had happened to her. "Lucy..." His voice was barely above a whisper, and he wasn't sure if he should touch her or not. Making a decision, he took her and again, and looked at her. Keeping his voice low, he leaned closer to her, watching her reaction carefully. She seemed to be okay with him being closer, so he finally asked her. "Lucy.. Were you raped?" 

She began to cry harder, and brought her hand to her face. When blood started to run from her nose again, Ian realized he had to stop her. Handing her a box of tissue, he sat next to her on the bed. "Lucy, I'm sorry. This shouldn't have happened to you. This shouldn't happen to any woman. But right now, crying is only going to make you hurt worse." He put his hand on her shoulder, and watched her helplessly. Karen entered the room and stood beside her bed. "We can take her to X-ray in about 5 minutes." 

Ian looked at Lucy for a moment before motioning for Karen to move closer. "She's going to need….." He looked back at Lucy for a second before finishing. "She's going to need a rape kit." 

Lucy's eyes were closed, so she couldn't see the expressions on their faces as Karen nodded. "I'll call a counselor, too." 

"No." Lucy's voice startled them both. "I don't need a counselor, and I don't want a kit." 

"Lucy, you were.." Karen hesitated, but Lucy interrupted her. 

"I know.. What I was, okay? I don't need a.. a kit." 

"You need to be examined." Karen kept her voice soft. "We can X ray your face and ribs, to see if anything's broken, but we also need to see how badly you're injured. And test for... any STD' s or.." Karen glanced at Ian briefly. "HIV."

Ian closed his eyes and Lucy began to cry again. 

"And we can use.. DNA to convict this guy." 

"NO!" Lucy shook her head. 

Karen started to speak again, but Ian shook his head. "Let her be for now. Let's work on the rest of her." 

Nodding, Karen went out the door. 

"You don't have to decide anything right this minute. Just rest." Taking her hand with one hand, Ian stroked her head with the other. "I'm going to get you a shot to stop the pain, okay?" 

She nodded. Suddenly she turned her head a little. "Doc?" 

Ian started to tell her that they were getting him when Kevin's voice startled him. 

"I'm right here." 

"I knew it." She hadn't opened her eyes, and Ian looked at Kevin, realizing that Lucy had just 'known' Kevin was there. 

Standing, Ian literally gave Lucy's hand to Kevin. There wasn't anything Ian could say, so he left the room. 

Kevin took Ian's place sitting next to Lucy on the bed. Taking a few deep breaths to control his own emotions, he squeezed her hand and touched her head. 

"I couldn't stop him. I tried." Her voice wasn't much more than a whisper, and she began to cry again. "I really tried." 

"Lucy...." Carefully, Kevin leaned over her and whispered in her ear. "This isn't your fault." The grip she had on his hand tightened until it was almost painful to Kevin, but he squeezed back and continued to talk to her. "You're going to get through this. I love you, and we'll get through this together. Okay?" 

When she wrapped her arm around his, he leaned his head against hers gently. They sat there like that for a while, just holding each other. 

"Excuse me?" A female voice startled both of them, and Kevin looked at the woman that had entered. "I'm Cassandra Powell. I'm with the Port Charles Police Department. I need to talk to Ms. Coe." 

Sitting up, Kevin turned to her. "Can this wait? I mean, I know she has to give a statement, but right now-" 

"No, that's not why I'm here. I'm a. crisis counselor." In spite of the situation, Cassandra almost smiled at the almost territorial way Kevin inched closer to Lucy as he stared at her. She knew of Kevin with the new Psychiatric Swat team, and apparently, he was going to consider Lucy to be his case. But she also knew from the look on his face how much he loved Lucy. In her professional opinion, he would never be able to be objective enough to give her the help she was going to need. 

"I told Karen I didn't want a counselor." Lucy's voice broke the stares between Kevin and Cassandra, and they both looked at her. "All I need is you, Doc. He's after you, and I need to know you're okay." 

"He's after me?" Kevin stopped. "What do you mean, he's after me?"

"He kept saying that you made his wife leave. He thought I knew where she was. That's why he was there." She tried to open her eyes to look at him, but it hurt too much, so she just pulled his hand back to her and gripped it. 

"His... wife?" The pieces began to fall together in Kevin's mind. 

"He kept asking me where his wife was, and telling me that I knew who she was." Lucy began to cry again. "But I didn't. I don't know who Mandy is." 

As soon as she said the name Mandy, Kevin's entire body tensed, and he had to fight to take in the next breath. Cassandra realized Kevin knew who had attacked Lucy. 

"Doc?" 

"I'm okay. Right now I'm worried about you." He turned back to Cassandra and forcibly sighed to calm himself. 

Cassandra stared at Kevin, wondering what was going through his mind. Before he could say anything, Karen reappeared with an orderly. 

"They're ready for her in X ray." 

Before Kevin stood, he leaned over Lucy and kissed her head softly. "I'll be here when you get back, okay?" He kissed her again. "I love you." 

Reluctantly, Lucy released his hand and he stood. Watching them wheel her from the room, Kevin stared at Karen and Cassandra. "What.. What do you have to do to her?" 

"We're doing everything we can for her, Kevin." Karen began. "We're going to get a full series of her face, head, and ribs. Ian suspects a mild concussion. Maybe you can talk to her. I'd feel a lot better if she'd agree to the rape kit-" 

"Rape kit?!" Kevin stared at her, and Karen literally watched the blood drain from his face. 

"I thought you knew." Karen realized that she'd just dropped a bomb on Kevin and she stepped closer. "Kevin, I'm sorry." 

"Sorry for who, Karen? Me? That's a joke. I was the one that...." 

Turning from the women, Kevin hit the wall with a fury that Karen had never seen from him. "Feel sorry for her. All she did was. He.. Why didn't I KNOW?" Wiping his own tears, he walked past them. "I have to do something. I'll be back before she is." 

"Kevin!" Karen tried to call him, but he ran for the stairs. 

Cassandra grabbed Karen's arm. "I think he knows." 

"He didn't know! Didn't you see his face? I just told him-" 

"NO! I mean I think he knows who did it!" 

"What?" Karen stared at Cassandra. "Kevin knows-" 

"Where was Kevin headed?" Ian entered the room. 

"I'm not sure." Karen continued to stare at Cassandra. "But I think I just completely set him off." 

Cassandra turned to Ian. "How well do you know him?" 

"Pretty well. Why?" 

"Because I think he knows who attacked her, and I'm wondering what he'll do." 

"Same thing I'd do. Kill the bastard." Ian muttered, then stopped. 

All three of them exchanged glances, and Ian stepped towards the door. "You think I should follow him and stop him from doing something." 

"Only if you can stop yourself, from what you just said." Cassandra looked at him. "You both need to realize that killing this man won't make it any better for-" 

"I know that." Ian yelled at Cassandra, then sighed. "But you're right. I'm gonna go check on Kevin." 

"Why? What's Dad going to do?" Livvie stared at them. 

Karen started to tell Livvie not to worry, but she changed her mind. "We think Kevin knows who attacked Lucy." 

"We have to find him. If he gets a hold of the guy.." 

"Stay here." Ian moved past all of them. "I'm going up to find him. He ran up the stairs, so whatever he's looking for is in this hospital." 

"God help the guy if he's here." Livvie stared at them. "He'll get what he deserves from Dad." 

"That's what I'm afraid of." Ian called over his shoulder as he ran up the stairs in search of Kevin.

 By the time Kevin reached Trent's room, his entire body was shaking from the rage he felt. Unlocking the door, he shoved it open so hard it bounced back towards him. "You son of a bitch!" Kevin's voice echoed in the room. 

Trent had been sleeping, but Kevin's entrance had awakened him. By the time he realized what was going on, Kevin had him by the shirt and was dragging him off the bed. "I said I was sorry! I didn't mean to do it!" 

Taking Trent by the throat, Kevin shoved him into the wall. "Do you think that by saying you're sorry, you can make what you did to her disappear!" 

Trent couldn't breathe and he grabbed at Kevin's hands. But the adrenaline coursing through Kevin had taken over, and his grip was like a vice on Trent's throat. 

"You bastard!" Bouncing him on the wall, Kevin shook Trent like a rag doll. "I'll kill you for what you've done to her!" 

Voices coming closer didn't distract Kevin from what he intended to do. "I just told her I'd help her get through this, and now I find out I LED YOU RIGHT TO HER!" Continuing to slam Trent into the wall, Kevin tightened his grip on the man's throat. "I let you get to her once. But I guarantee you will NEVER HURT ANOTHER WOMAN! You won't EVER touch her again!" 

"KEVIN!" Ian came around the corner and yelled at what he saw. If Ian had ever had the misfortune of meeting Ryan, he would have recognized the look on Kevin's face as he gripped an all but unconscious Trent by the throat. And from the looks of Kevin, he wasn't going to let go. Gail was following Ian, and she, too, screamed Kevin's name. 

Ian grabbed Kevin and tried to pry his hands off Trent's throat. But Kevin took one arm and tried to shove Ian away. "Leave me alone! You don't understand!" 

"Yeah, I do!" With a struggle, Ian finally succeeded in prying Kevin away from Trent. Grabbing Kevin, he pulled him towards the door. "You want to kill him. I'd love to help you, but we can't." 

"What is going on?" Gail pointed to the door. "Both of you get out there and wait for me." 

Still holding Kevin, Ian led him to the hallway. 

In the hallway, Kevin jerked away from Ian and began to pace. "You don't know-" 

"Yes, I do. I brought her in, Kevin. I know what he did to her." Stopping, Kevin stared at Ian. 

Ian knew he finally had Kevin's attention, and he continued. "Believe me, I'd like nothing more than to go back in there with you and tear him apart. He deserves it. But that won't help her. You know that. What good is it gonna do Lucy if we're both in a jail cell?"

Finally stopping, Kevin stared at Ian. "I…. I almost.." 

"I know. It's okay." 

"NO! It's not! I can't let her down again, Ian." 

"You won't!" Ian grabbed Kevin's arm. "Listen to me! You need to get back down there and be there for her. She's going to be asking for you, and you can help her." 

Kevin stared at Ian for a moment, and Gail's voice startled both of them. "Which one of you want to tell me what that was about? You nearly killed him, Kevin!" 

"Transfer him, Gail." Kevin's voice was low and menacing. "Send him to Mercy, Ferncliff, Hell is where I'd LIKE to send him. But get him out of here before I DO kill him." 

Shocked, Gail stared at Kevin. "I think you and I need to talk." 

"NO, not right now we don't!" 

Gail stepped towards Kevin, but Ian got between them. "I'll tell Gail. You go back downstairs and concentrate on Lucy." 

Nodding, Kevin backed away from them. "I have to check.." Without another word, Kevin turned and walked away. 

"I don't want him going anywhere like that." Gail looked at Ian. "You don't know Kevin." 

"Sure I do. He wants to kill the guy for what he did. Same as me." 

Gail stared at Ian. "Okay, why don't we start with that. What he did." 

"Lucy's in ER. He put her there, and I would strongly suggest you don't let him stay in the same hospital much longer." 

Gail's face showed her shock. "What's her condition?"

"She'll be okay. But she's in bad shape right now."

"I'll arrange for his transfer immediately. Then I'll be down there. Has anyone called Scott yet?"

Ian shook his head. "I don't think so, Kevin's been with her." 

"I'll call him when I'm done." As Ian started to turn, Gail grabbed his arm. "Ian, I know you and Kevin have your differences-" 

"Gail, we both agree that right now Lucy is our main concern. And we both care about her. A lot." 

Nodding, Gail motioned towards the door to Trent's room. "I'll make sure he's transferred by the end of the day." 

"Good idea. It's a little too tempting, you know?"

Gail nodded at Ian and turned to go to her office. 

Kevin entered his office, still shaking. But he had to check on one thing before he went back to Lucy. Tearing through the files in the drawer, he stopped when he found Trent's and pulled it out. 

"It's here. It's got to be." Whispering to himself, he searched through it until he found what he was looking for. When he found the sheet with all of Trent's blood work, he was so relieved, he sat down in his chair. Tears came again, and he didn't fight them. At least there was one thing Lucy didn't have to be afraid of. Closing the file, he got up and left the office. 

By the time Kevin reached ER again, Ian was already there. "You okay now?" 

"Better. Thanks."

"She's back. I gave her something for the pain." 

Nodding, Kevin went in and stopped when he realized Karen was there with her. 

"Karen, I said no. Will you please just leave me alone?"

"Lucy, I can't." Karen's voice was soft, but she was desperately trying to get her point across to Lucy. "I want to help you." 

"Then help me by leaving me alone." Her words were more slurred, and Kevin realized that whatever Ian had given her was taking effect. 

"Karen." He put his hand on Karen's shoulder. "I'll talk to her." 

Nodding, Karen left the room. 

Approaching the bed, he realized that Lucy looked more relaxed. When she reached out to him he took her hand and sat next to her. "Talk to me." 

"What?" 

"You know Karen is only trying to help." 

She opened her right eye and looked at him. "Think about it, Doc." 

"I don't want to think about it. I want you to tell me what you're thinking." 

She started to sigh, but it hurt and she winced. "There's going to be a police report, right?" 

"Right." 

"If Karen does a.... if I let her examine me, it goes to the police, right?"

"Right." Kevin still didn't know where Lucy was going. 

"Doc, they do a DNA test." She closed her eyes and waited for Kevin to realize what she was talking about. 

"Lucy, they need to match.." It hit him. "That's what this is about?"

Her voice cracked from the fact that she was crying. "Karen's going to have to ask questions you don't want me to answer." 

Taking a breath, Kevin leaned closer to her and touched her face gently. "Lucy, this is so much more important." 

"You don't want anyone to know until Eve does. I understa-" 

"The HELL with Eve!" His voice was sharp, and she jumped He took a breath and lowered his voice. "Right now, all that matters is you. I don't care who finds out about us." 

"Everyone will if I-" 

"Listen to me." Pulling her hand to his face, he kissed it. "I love you. You need to let Karen help you. I'll tell everyone about us myself if it will make you let her examine you." 

"Are you sure?" 

"Yes." Leaning over, Kevin gently kissed the side of her face that wasn't bruised. "You're all I care about." 

Touching his face, Lucy began to cry harder, then tried to stifle a cry from the pain in her face. 

"Ssh. You need to stop crying. I know it hurts, but it's only going to get worse." 

"I know. But." She couldn't finish, and she began to shake. 

Helpless, Kevin watched her cry. It took every bit of self-control he had to not get up and go back to Trent's room. Ian and Cassandra entered the room. 

"I've got some good news. It doesn't look like any bones are broken. The bruises are pretty deep, but they'll feel better in a few days." Ian stared at her for a moment, then glanced at Kevin. 

"Can you get Karen?" Kevin asked Ian, and the look on Kevin's face told Ian what it was about. 

"I'll get her." Ian left the room, and Cassandra looked at him. 

"There's a police detective outside, and she needs to talk to Lucy as soon as Dr. Wexler's finished." 

"If she's up to it. Ian gave her a sedative." Kevin's grip on Lucy's hand tightened. 

Karen appeared with a small cart. "I have to ask some questions first. If you like, we can do this privately." 

"No." Lucy's voice was sharp and she pulled Kevin's hand closer to her. 

"Okay. He can stay for a few minutes, but when I examine you, he'll have to wait outside." 

"Lucy, there's reasons for that. It's okay. I'm not going anywhere. I do have to go talk to Livvie for a minute." 

"Livvie.. Oh, Doc, I scared her. I mean, I really scared her." 

"She's okay. She'll probably want to see you before she leaves, but I'm going to tell her to go home." 

Lucy nodded. 

Pulling out a pen to write on her clipboard, Karen looked at Lucy. "I hate to ask these as much as you hate to answer them, but the answers are important." 

"I know. Go ahead." Lucy's voice was a bit louder, but she was speech was definitely slower.

"I need to know if you've had consensual sex in the last 72 hours?"

"Yes." 

Karen's eyes met Lucy. "We'll have to talk to him and-" 

"I'm right here." Kevin stared at Karen. "I know what you need to do, and we'll talk about it later." 

Nodding, Karen barely hid her own surprise. 

Kevin looked at Lucy and wasn't surprised to see she was crying again. Reaching out, he touched her face. 

"I'm sorry." 

"Don't say that." Kevin stared in her eyes. "This was NOT your fault. Do you hear me?" 

She nodded. 

Karen continued. "Do you understand what the exam is?" 

"Yes." She actually shot Karen what was close to a 'give me a break' look. 

"Sorry. But I have to ask. We're going to do several screenings, for DNA, for STD's and HIV." 

Lucy's eyes went back to Kevin, who realized it was time to say something. "Don't, Lucy. Don't worry about that. You'll be fine." 

Karen and Cassandra glared at him for a moment, but he didn't care. He'd read the results of the blood work and he knew Trent was HIV negative. But he didn't want to reveal to Lucy that the man who had raped her was only 4 floors above her. 

"I guess that's it for right now. Kevin has to leave the room while I examine you, but Cassandra can stay, if you want." 

Lucy looked at Cassandra for a moment before staring back at Kevin. 

"It's up to you. Whatever you want." 

Nodding, Lucy reluctantly let go of Kevin's hand. Cassandra stepped closer and looked at Kevin. "I'll take care of her. You can come back in a few minutes. You'll be RIGHT outside, right?" 

"Yes, I'm not going anywhere." Kevin leaned over and kissed Lucy's head. "I love you." 

"I love you, too." 

Taking her hand, he kissed it one more time before he left the room. Leaving Lucy's room he found Livvie still standing in the hallway. "Dad?"

Kevin reached for Livvie and hugged her. "She'll be okay."

"Are you sure?" 

Kevin sighed. "It's going to take her some time, but she'll be okay." 

Moving back a little, Kevin looked at Livvie. "How about you?"

"I'm fine." 

"Lucy was afraid she'd scared you." 

"Can I see her?" 

"I don't think she'll be awake much longer. Ian gave her something to help her sleep." 

"Karen said that you might know who...." Livvie looked up at him. 

"Later. I'll explain everything. But I can't right now. Look, Lucy will probably sleep through the night, but they'll probably release her tomorrow. I know she'll want to see you. But there's nothing else you can do for her tonight." 

"Are you sure?" 

"Yes. I'm sure. Come on, I'll walk you to your car." Putting his arm around her shoulders he walked outside with her. 

As they reached the door, a woman called Livvie's name. 

Turning, Livvie stared at the woman, who held out her hand. "I'm Detective Richards. I need to ask you a few questions about Ms. Coe." 

Kevin reached to shake her hand. "Kevin Collins." 

"I guess you're... close with Ms. Coe." 

"Yes." 

"Well, I guess I can ask you. I need to get a forensic team over to her home." 

Kevin nodded. "I forgot about that." 

"We'll catch him." 

Kevin started to say something, but he realized he didn't want anyone to know until Trent was transferred. "Livvie, can you go over to Lucy's and let them in?" He turned to the detective. "Can you talk to her there?" 

"Yes, of course I can." Livvie nodded, and the detective also gave her approval. 

"I'll walk her to her car, then I'll come back and give you the address and all that." 

"I already have it. If it's okay, I'll have them there in about a half hour." The detective turned after Kevin nodded and walked away. 

Kevin and Livvie walked over to her car and she stopped after she opened the driver's door. Turning to see what Livvie was staring at, he inhaled sharply when he saw Lucy's blood on the front seat. "You okay?" 

"I'm fine. I just...." Livvie couldn't take her eyes off of it. 

"Here." Kevin handed her his keys. "You take mine, I'll deal with this." 

"You don't have to-" 

"I want to. There isn't a whole lot else I can do right now." 

Livvie sighed. "Okay." 

"Livvie, I'll tell the police. There are a few reasons I can't right now. But I will. I promise. Just don't say anything yet about me knowing who he is. Look, can you.. Call Victor? He'll be glad to take over at Lucy's for you. Tell him she'll probably be home tomorrow, and I'll call him later tonight." 

"Okay." She hugged him again and walked with him to his car. 


	4. Surviving Loves Obstacles Chapter 4

Kevin was at the door to ER when he heard a voice call his name. 

Turning, he saw Scott running towards him. 

"What the hell happened to her?" 

"She was attacked." 

"By who?" 

Sighing, Kevin stared at Scott. "I don't want anyone else to know yet, but I do know who did it." 

"If you know who did it, why can't you-" 

"SCOTT!" Grabbing Scott's arm, Kevin pulled him away from the door. "Listen to me. I'm only telling you this because...because.. hell, I'm not even sure why I'm telling you. But. it was one of my patients." 

"WHAT!" Scott stared at Kevin. "How do you know this?" 

"Because he came here and told me." 

"Whoa, whoa, hold on. He came to you. As in your office?" 

"Yes." 

"One of your patients? Why?" 

"Because-" 

"NO! Stop. You can't tell me." 

Now Kevin was confused. 

"Have you told anyone?" 

"No. The last thing Lucy needed was to find out that he was here." 

"HE'S HERE?" Sighing, Scott ran his hands through his hair. "This is great. Just great." 

"Gail's transferring him." 

"Kevin, stop right now." Scott stared at him. "This is unbelievable." Thinking for a moment, Scott held his hand out. "Give me a dollar." 

"What?" 

"You heard me." 

"Scott, I don't have time for games." Kevin's voice took on a menacing tone, but Scott grabbed his collar.

"You tell me one more thing, you're breaking the doctor patient confidentiality-" 

"You think I give a damn about-" 

"You want this case thrown out? Keep talking." Scott let go of Kevin. "You give me a dollar and I'm your lawyer. It's legal. And it sticks! Do you get that?"

Pulling his wallet out, Kevin handed Scott a bill. Neither man looked at it as Scott put it in his pocket. "Alright. Now talk to me. How is she?" 

"Not good. She'll be okay. But right now." Kevin sighed. "She's hurt, Scott. And it's.. it's my fault." 

"Come on, Kevin. Nobody believes for one minute you'd ever do anything to hurt Lucy. What are you doing for her now?" 

"I'm waiting for Karen to finish examining her." Kevin debated telling Scott, but he decided it was Lucy's place to decide when to tell him. 

"Okay. So right now we deal with the bastard that did it." Scott thought about it for a minute. "The story goes like this. You called me and hired me to get your options. First thing we do is talk to Gail. This has to go through the right channels or the guy could walk. Then we get house counsel and the cops involved. We don't want lawsuits, and we sure as hell don't want anything ruled inadmissible in court." 

Kevin sighed. 

"Who else knows?" 

"Gail already knows, and Ian." 

"IAN! Well how the hell did he find out." 

Kevin didn't answer at first, but Scott stared at him and he sighed again. "I went after him." 

"You WHAT?" 

"I. I tried to strangle him. Ian stopped me." 

"Great. He goes to jail for assaulting Lucy, you go to jail for assaulting him." 

"Probably." Kevin admitted. 

"Can't say I blame you, but I don't think the cops are gonna see it that way." Scott sighed. "Okay, let's talk to Gail and Lee first. Go through-" 

"The channels. I got that." He sighed again and reached for Scott's arm. "There's one thing you need to know. Before we start talking about charges and evidence." 

"What else did you do?"

"Not me. Him." 

"What?" 

Taking a deep breath, Kevin forced himself to say it. "He raped her." 

It took almost ten full seconds for it to register on Scott's face. "I'll kill him myself." 

As Scott turned towards the door, Kevin held him by the jacket. "I tried that, remember? You were the one that mentioned jail? Scott, I only told you because I don't know what Lucy's going to want to do. You and I want to kill him. We think he should pay. But it happened to HER." 

"She doesn't know who he is?" 

Kevin shook his head. "But I have to tell her-" 

"Not yet. You can't." 

"I have to, Scott! Karen's telling her she has to have an HIV test every three months for the next year. I know she doesn't. I can't let her go through that." 

"How did you find that out?" 

"I looked in his records." As Kevin said it, he knew what Scott was going to say. 

"Can't repeat it yet. Confidential." 

"I'm NOT going to let her lie in there and think she could get AIDS, Scott. I can't do that." 

"I don't like it either, Kevin. But she can't know yet. Let her make a statement to the cops first." 

"Scott-" 

"It could be considered witness tampering. I'm telling you, Kevin, you go off at the mouth and he gets a good lawyer, he'll be free. So what do you want? You want her to feel better now and have to wonder where he is for the rest of her life?" 

Kevin stopped and stared at Scott. "No." 

"Then you keep your mouth shut until we get the warrant. We'll get one by morning, I swear. But if it isn't by the book." 

"I GET THE MESSAGE, SCOTT!" Kevin glared at Scott. "You do whatever it is that you have to do. I have to go back to her."

"One more question, Kevin." 

"What?" 

Stepping closer, Scott stared at Kevin. "What happens to Lucy when Eve gets back?" 

"That's none of you-" 

"Don't give me that! She loves you. You know it and I know it. I want to know if you're gonna pull her up and throw her down again when your wife gets back." 

Kevin resigned himself to having this conversation. "I guess she's told you-" 

"She doesn't have to tell me anything. You know how many years I've known her. I've seen the way she looks at you. She needs you right now. But not if it's one of those mixed signals you like to send her-" 

"I LOVE HER, okay?" With an effort, Kevin lowered his voice. "I love her, Scott. She knows it, and everybody else will know it before long. Including Eve. Odds are she'll hear it before I get a chance to tell her. And right now, I don't care." His throat tightened, but he continued. "All I care about is Lucy. He followed me to her house today. This happened to her because of me." 

"I don't get it. Why did this guy follow you?" 

Before Kevin could answer, Ian approached them. 

"There you are. I was afraid you'd.." Ian saw Scott. "Hi." 

"He knows, Ian. I just hired Scott." 

"Okay. I guess I can tell you. They just transferred him. So you can go tell the cops-" 

"Whoa. He can't just run to the cops. And neither can you." 

Before Ian could argue, Kevin shook his head. "We can't, Ian. Either one of us say the wrong word, and every bit of evidence could be suppressed." 

"Great system you've got here. Last time I checked, Lucy was the victim." 

"And I'm gonna make sure he gets what's coming to him. But the two of you have to shut up until I say it's okay. Got it?"

Ian and Kevin nodded. Then Ian turned to Kevin. "Karen's done. Cassandra's talking to her, but I have a feeling she'd rather talk to you." 

Before Scott could say a word, Kevin glared at him. "By tomorrow, Scott. I'm going to tell her the truth. No matter what." 

"Kevin," Kevin turned back to Scott. "I want to see her." 

"Come on." 

Scott followed Kevin back to Lucy's room. 

Karen stopped them just outside the door. "We're going to transfer her upstairs in a minute for observation. But we'll release her tomorrow."

"How is she?" 

Karen stared at Kevin and Scott for a minute.

"I had to tell him. Long story, but you'll find out more when we can tell you." 

Karen sighed and thought about it for a moment. "Minor physical damage, some tearing, abrasions, bruising, all consistent with.. Rape." 

Kevin and Scott both winced at her words. 

"But she'll heal. Physically. We have to run the standard tests for STD's and HIV. We'll have the results in a couple hours, and she'll have to be tested for HIV every three months for the next year." Kevin glared at Scott, who shook his head. 

Karen stopped and watched the exchange between the two men. Finally she looked at Kevin. "You know more than you're telling, don't you. I heard what you said to Lucy earlier. Kevin if you know anything that can affect her health, you need to tell me." 

"No, he doesn't, Karen. Not right now." Scott shook his head. "You'll know more when we can tell you." Dragging Kevin towards Lucy's room, Scott finished. "I want to see her, then I'll get started on the other." 

As they stepped inside, Cassandra was on her way out. "She's asleep. Ian gave her another shot a few minutes ago. He said she should sleep through the night. I'll come back in the morning to see how she's doing." 

"Thanks." Kevin nodded to her. 

After Cassandra left, they approached Lucy. Scott inhaled sharply when he saw her and stopped. Kevin stood next to her bed and reached out to gently touch her face. She has apparently cried herself to sleep, and he wiped the streak her tears had left on her face. His throat tightened, and it was all he could do to whisper to Scott. "Can you understand how important it is to tell her?" 

"Yeah." Scott's voice was just as quiet, and he ran his hand through his own hair. "I'm going to go talk to Gail and get started on this. I'll get in touch shortly. Where are you going to be?" 

"Right here. I'm not leaving her." 

Nodding, Scott left him alone with her.   
  


Scott knocked once on Gail's door before opening it. She looked up at him and stood. "Have you seen her yet?" 

"Yeah. But she was asleep." 

"I went down a few minutes ago, but Karen was examining her." 

"I saw Kevin, too." 

Gail didn't reply.

"We need to get together with Lee and figure out how we can do this so it won't get thrown out." 

"Scott, I can't-" 

"Kevin hired me to handle this. Legally." 

This surprised Gail. "I'd love to know how that happened." 

"We both want the same thing. But we also know that Kevin only found out what he did because this guy is his patient. He knows that he can't just repeat it without certain legal precautions." 

"I'm guessing you told him that." 

"Wasn't easy, but it's the only way we're going to get this guy." 

Nodding, Gail picked up the phone. "Lee and Alan need to be in on this. The hospital has to be protected as well as Kevin." 

Scott glared at her, but she continued. "That does NOT mean I don't care about Lucy. But as you said, this has to be done by the book, and I want every base covered." 

Nodding, Scott watched her call Alan and Lee. He knew he had a few minutes before they got there, so he got up and began to pace. 

After she hung up the phone, Gail looked at Scott. "How is she?"

"She was RAPED, Gail! How do you think she is?" 

Gail closed her eyes and sighed. "I didn't know that. I was hoping he didn't... I guess I suspected. But Scott, other people already know-" 

"Ian. I already talked to him. He knows he can't say anything." 

"Good. Alan and Lee will be here in about 15 minutes." 

"How bad did Kevin mess him up?" 

"It wasn't good. I wouldn't be surprised if Kevin had a visit from the police himself." 

"I'll handle that, too. Part of me wishes he had killed him." 

Gail knew she was going to have her hands full with this for a while. As badly as she wanted to go check on Lucy herself, she had a feeling she'd be doing more for Lucy by staying with Scott and making sure this got done properly. 

The orderly's had arrived right after Scott left to move Lucy to her room. She slept through the transfer, and once they were gone, Kevin pulled a chair next to her bed and sat in it. Watching her sleep, he took her hand and held it gently. 

Alan sighed. "Okay, Lee. What's the first thing we have to do?"

"Kevin can report it to the police, but then the patient can sue the hospital. We'd win, but it would mean a lot of publicity and legal fees." 

"Great. Second choice?" 

"Either way, we're in trouble. If Kevin reports it, the patient can sue. If he doesn't, Lucy can." 

"Give me a break, Lee. Lucy won't sue the hospital." Scott shrugged. "I say the hell with it. Let the nutcase sue." 

"Scott.." 

"I don't give a damn about him, Gail. All I care about here is Lucy." 

"Scott, we all care about her." Alan glared at him. "No one is denying that Kevin needs to report this. But how?" 

Lee stood. "Let me make a few calls. I have a few friends left in the legal community." 

"Even with me for a son, right?" Scott smiled at him. 

"Even then." Returning his smile, Lee picked up the phone. 

Alan looked at Scott. "We are worried about her, Scott. But we want   
to protect the hospital, and make sure this bastard doesn't walk." 

"We're running out of time, here, Alan. Kevin's not gonna wait forever to tell Lucy. And I agree with him that she has a right to know." 

"She does, Scott. But you were right to stop him. We need to make sure this is done right." Alan watched Lee talk on the phone. "I'd like to see her in the morning before she's released." 

"Alan, until Lucy knows everything, don't tell her you know.. Everything." 

Alan nodded. "I understand. Hopefully we'll be able to tell her in the morning." 

Hanging up the phone, Lee approached the group. "Good news. It's not going to be pretty, but we can do it. Have Kevin report this. We can file the necessary forms first thing in the morning. You were right about Lucy making a statement before she knows. Could legally be witness tampering. The patient in question has been transferred, right?" 

"Yes." Gail answered him. "And he can be contained for another 65 hours." 

"Long enough to get a warrant for his arrest and get him shipped right to PCPD." Scott stood. "If we start moving now." 

"Where are you going?" 

"I'm going to tell Kevin what's going on. My guess is he'll want Mac on this." 

Nodding, Gail stood. "I'd like to talk to Kevin myself." 

"In the meantime," Lee addressed Gail and Scott. "Let's keep this thing about Kevin attacking him quiet. No need to draw attention to it unless the patient does." 

"You got it." Scott and Gail left the room.   
  


  
Scott tapped lightly on the door to Lucy's room before he opened it. 

Lucy was still asleep, and Kevin was still sitting on the chair. He was looking at them as if he'd just awoken, and when he realized who it was, he jumped to his feet. 

"We've got news." Scott motioned for Kevin to follow him out into the hallway. Hesitating, Kevin looked at Lucy. 

"I'll stay with her, Kevin." Gail moved towards Lucy. 

"I don't want her to wake up alone." Kevin's eyes met hers.

"She won't." Moving to the chair, Gail sat next to Lucy. 

Turning, Kevin followed Scott into the hallway. 

"Okay, you need to call the police. I figured you'd want to call Mac." 

Kevin nodded. 

"Let Lucy make a statement to whoever's been assigned to the case. BEFORE you tell her who it is. You tell Mac everything. Mac can legally take it from there." 

"Good." As Kevin turned to go back inside, Scott grabbed him. "I have to warn you, this is going to get pretty messy. Your nutcase could file a suit against your license and the hospital-" 

"I don't give a damn what my nutca-" Kevin stopped himself. "Patient does. I've already told you that." 

"I know. But Lee says the hospital can beat it, and that means I can beat it. As far as any assault charges go, we'll have to take them as they come." 

"Are we done?"

Scott started to snap at Kevin's apparent lack of appreciation, but he stopped when he took a good look at Kevin's face. "Yeah, we're done. You gonna call Mac or you want me to?" 

"Go ahead. You want to sit with her while I talk to him?"

"Sure"

"Kevin?" Gail interrupted them. 

In two steps, Kevin was back at Lucy's door. "She awake?" 

"No, but Livvie's on the phone. She's-" 

"At Lucy's." Kevin closed his eyes. "I forgot." 

Going back inside, he picked up the phone. "Livvie?" 

"Dad. The cops are done, but they trashed the place. More."

"Did you get a hold of Victor?" 

"I left a message. He's not answering his cell." 

"Livvie, I'm sorry you got stuck with that by yourself." 

"It's okay. I mean, I'm not. Jack's here." Her voice sounded like she wasn't sure Kevin would be glad to hear that. "I didn't think Lucy would mind-" 

"It's okay. I'm glad." He tried to think, but his mind was drawing a blank. "I don't remember the name or number, but Lucy has a cleaning service. Check around see if you can find the number. If they won't do it, they might know someone that will."

"How is she?"

"She's asleep right now. But they're going to release her in the morning. I don't want." Kevin sighed. "I wish Victor had called you back. I hate the thought of you having to deal with-"

"Dad, stop. I'm fine. Jack and I will take care of this. You take care of her, okay?"

"Okay." Kevin smiled at how strong Livvie sounded. He knew how much this had upset her, but she was definitely dealing with it. 

"Hang on." 

He heard Jack's voice in the background, then Livvie returned to the phone. 

"Victor's on my cell. You want to tell him, or do you want me to?" 

"Go ahead. Ask him to come over there and help you. There's nothing either of you can do here." Kevin thought about it for a minute. "Well, at some point before morning, can you. do you mind." 

"What?" 

"The police needed...not that she'd ever.. I mean.." 

"Dad, you sound like you REALLY need to get some rest. You keep talking like that, and Lucy's the only one who will be able to understand you." 

Kevin sighed. "She's the only one. You're right about that." Staring at Lucy, he smiled. "Just bring Lucy a change of clothes. She'll need something to wear. But try to get some sleep yourself first. There's no reason for all of us to be up all night. Tell Jack I said thanks." 

"I will. And I'll get Victor over here. And I'll come back there in a few hours." 

"Thanks. I really appreciate this. Lucy does, too." 

"It's okay. You know I love both of you." 

"We both love you, too." He hung up the phone and sat back down next to Lucy. She stirred in her sleep and started to mumble. Taking her hand, he gently stroked her head with the other hand until she stopped. 

"Kevin?" Gail's voice was quiet. 

He turned and looked at her. 

"Mac's on his way. Scott wants to be with you when you talk to him, so I'll stay with Lucy." 

"Thanks. She's getting restless. I don't think she'll sleep much longer." 

"I saw that." Gail put her hand on Kevin's shoulder. "I also gather that there's a lot more going on here." 

Kevin's eyes never left Lucy as he spoke to Gail. "I wanted to tell Eve first. But now…. I don't care how Eve finds out. Lucy and I.." He shrugged. "I guess you saw that, too." 

"Yes. I did." Gail kept her voice low. "If you don't mind my asking, how long-" 

"Not long. It took me longer to figure it out for myself. Lucy's always been better at following her heart than I am." He squeezed Lucy's hand gently. "She knew. And I fought her every step of the way." Sighing, he turned to Gail. "How do I tell her? How do I tell her that one of my patients got mad at me and took it out on her?" 

"Just like that." Gail stared at him. "You can't change the fact that it happened, Kevin, but knowing who and knowing why will help her. You know that." 

"Oh, yeah." His voice was sarcastic. "That will solve everything." 

Before Gail could reply, the door opened to reveal Scott. 

"Mac's here. She still asleep?" 

Nodding, Kevin stood and turned to Gail. 

"I told you I'd stay with her. Go talk to Mac." Gail looked at him.   
  


Victor finished his conversation with one of the cleaning service people, then returned to Jack, shaking his head. "They don't mind cleaning up the mess the police made, but they refuse to clean.." He sighed. "the blood." 

"I don't blame them. I mean, they have no way of knowing.." Jack shrugged. "I'll do it." 

"You don't have to." 

"Victor, I don't mind. And I want it gone before Livvie wakes up. It really freaks her out, you know?" At Victor and Jack's insistence, Livvie had finally agreed to get some sleep. She wanted to be over at GH before Lucy woke. 

Jack stood. "I'm going to get started." 

Victor looked at Jack and followed him into the kitchen. "I'll help." Both men stopped and stared at the floor. About half the kitchen floor was covered in blood. There were a few puddles of it, but the rest had been smeared across the floor where Lucy had tried to get away from Trent.

Victor closed his eyes and shook his head. "That poor girl. How could anyone..." 

"Victor, go sit down. I said I'd do this." Jack gestured towards the kitchen door.

"Nonsense. I'm perfectly capable of helping you clean this up. It's just..." Victor's eyes met Jack's.

"I know. But she's going to be okay. I mean, Kevin told Livvie she's coming home." 

"Which means we've got to get this cleaned up, right?" Victor went to the kitchen cabinets and started to search for anything to use to clean the floor. Finding bleach and a few pairs of gloves, Victor turned to Jack, who had found a mop. 

"We can throw this out and pick up a new one for her." 

"Perfect." Victor dug a few sponges out of the same cabinet, and joined Jack on the floor.   
  


  
Mac stared at Kevin for a few seconds after hearing the whole story. "Has anyone gotten a statement from Lucy yet?" 

Kevin shook his head. "She's been asleep since Karen examined her. She did talk to the crisis counselor that came with the detective." 

Scott leaned on the table. "Mac, we had to make sure this was done right. I mean, not only could this nutcase file a lawsuit, he could get a good lawyer to get everything kicked if we didn't do this by the book." 

"I get that. And now I can move on this, right?" 

"That's why you're here." Scott shrugged. "Lee is going to file the papers the minute the courthouse opens."

"So now we file for a warrant and get Dara in on this." Mac stood. "The first thing we need to do is get a statement. I'll get the detective on the case to talk to Lucy. I think she'd be more comfortable with her."

Kevin nodded. "Do you want the detective to know before she talks to Lucy?" 

Thinking for a minute, Mac shook his head. "We don't want any cause for his attorney to scream prejudicial testimony. I'll talk to her after she talks to Lucy." 

Standing, Kevin started for the door. "I have to check in with Victor. But I'm going to do it from Lucy's room. She'll probably wake up soon." 

"I'll call the detective and get her back here. As soon as Lucy's awake, she can give her statement." 

"Don't rush her into something.. No, you're right. The sooner she gives a statement, the sooner I can tell her the truth. Get her back over here. I really don't think it's going to be long." 

"Okay. I'll call her now." Before Kevin could leave the room, Mac called him back. "Is she going to be okay?"

"Yes." Kevin's tone was sharp, and he stared at Mac. "I'll make sure she is." 


	5. Surviving Loves Obstacles Chapter 5

It was like a fog. Denser than any fog Lucy had ever seen. Black and cold. Moving through it, she knew she was about to be out of it. When she felt it getting lighter, she started to sit up. 

Pain ran through her and she woke. As she did, Kevin's voice startled her. "Lucy?" 

Wincing, she realized that she'd sat up in her sleep. Gripping his hand, she stopped moving. "I'm okay."

"Lay down." 

Shaking her head slightly, she used his arm to pull herself to a sitting position. Taking as deep a breath as her ribs would allow, she looked around. 

Kevin watched her as she completely woke and remembered where she was. And why.

Her left eye still didn't want to open, but her right eye met his for a moment. "Hurts."

"I know. Lie back down." Slowly, he moved to sit on the bed beside her. "Lucy, when you're ready, you.. there's .. the police need a statement."

Lucy sighed and closed her eyes. "I don't want to." Before Kevin could reply she continued. "I know I have to. I just don't want to." 

Not sure how she was going to react, Kevin reached out and touched her face. At first she hesitated, but then she leaned her face into his hand. He caressed her cheek for a moment, then slid his hand into her hair. 

"I want to take a shower." Her voice dropped to a whisper as she fought tears. "I need to take a shower." 

Almost physically feeling her pain, Kevin closed his eyes for a moment. "Livvie's bringing you something to wear." 

She began to squirm, pulling her hands away from him and hugging herself. 

Kevin was watching her so intently, he almost didn't hear her. 

"Is she okay? I know I really scared her." 

"She's fine, Lucy. I spoke to her last night. She said she'd be here early." 

Nodding slightly, she shivered. "I'm cold." 

Pulling the blanket up to her, Kevin shifted so he was actually sitting behind her. The hospital gown she was wearing was open in the back and he could see bruises all the way down her back. He reached out to pull her into his arms, but she resisted. 

"Don't. I.." Stopping, she started to cry. "I'm sorry." 

"Don't apologize." He leaned a little closer to her, but was careful to give her some room. "Don't apologize for how you feel. But you have to tell me, because I don't know what to do for you." He didn't move forward enough for her to look at him because he was afraid he'd cry if his eyes met hers. It was tearing him apart that she was in so much pain, and he couldn't do anything for her. 

"I'm.. I'm cold. I want you to hold me, but...I don't want to be touched. I know it doesn't make sense." 

"Yes, it does." Reaching to the chair, he took his jacket off the back of it and wrapped it around her. "Better?" 

She nodded and pulled the jacket tightly around her. Before either of them could say anything, a soft tap on the door startled her. The door opened to reveal Detective Richards. 

Kevin stood and looked at the detective for a moment before he turned to Lucy. "You can do this." 

She reached for his hand and pulled him closer to her. Taking a deep breath, he looked in her eyes. "I can't stay." 

"Doc.. I." Her eyes filled with tears and she looked so hurt it was all Kevin could do to not tell her everything. But he couldn't, and he knew it. 

Squeezing her hands, he leaned over to kiss her head gently. "I can't stay, but I'll be right outside. Promise. I'll be back as soon as you're finished." 

She nodded, and he gently pulled his hand from hers. As he passed the detective, she looked at him. "I want to talk to you, too." 

Nodding, Kevin went out into the hallway.   
  


Mac approached Kevin. "I've already called Dara. She's getting a judge to issue a warrant as soon as Lucy signs the statement." 

"Mac," Kevin started at the door to Lucy's room. "We need to wait to see what Lucy wants. I mean, after she knows everything." 

"You think she'd. what? Not press charges?"

Shaking his head, Kevin began to pace the hallway. "I'm not saying she won't. But it should be her decision."

For a moment, Mac just stared at Kevin. "Let me know after you talk to her." 

Kevin was quiet for a moment, then he finally turned to Mac. "I'm just realizing how far this has gone. Mac, how do you think she's going to feel when she finds out how many people know about this? I mean, this is her life we're busy making these decisions about."

"Kevin, we all want to nail this guy for what he did to her." 

"That my point, Mac! He did it to her. I think she should have some say in what comes next!"

Sighing, Mac nodded. "After she knows everything." 

"Right. I've been telling her that I want to help her, but.." 

"You do." 

"I'm doing a great job, right? Lying to her-" 

"Kevin, stop. You're protecting her."

"No, Mac. I'm not. I'm protecting myself, I'm protecting the hospital, I'm even protecting that son of a bitch. The one person I'm not doing a damn thing for is her!" 

Mac wasn't sure if Kevin was going to go into a rage or start crying. So he moved closer to Kevin and stared at him. "You're doing everything for her, mate. You know that if you'd told her everything that son of a bitch could have walked away from what he did! And you're going to tell her. As soon as she's done, you can tell her everything."

Shaking his head, Kevin leaned against the wall. "I just....I don't know if I can help her." 

"What do you mean? I think you're the only one who can." Mac finally smiled. "I'm not blind, Kevin. I knew you weren't ready to tell me, but I have a pretty good idea about what's going on between the two of you." 

Kevin almost smiled. "Obvious, am I?" 

"Oh, I don't know. Just the fact that every time I talk to you her name comes up, and you get this really funny look on your face.. It's either love or indigestion." Mac shrugged. "Of course, in my life, they're one and the same." He snapped his finger and pointed at Kevin. "That's the look."

Now Kevin did smile. "It's love. I love her, Mac, and this time I'm not going to let her go." 

"Good." Mac smiled back at him. "So go in there and help her get through this."

  
"And then he just left?" Detective Richards kept her voice low. 

Lucy nodded. "Yes. He just walked out the door." Her eyes were staring at the buttons on Kevin's jacket as she held it around her. 

"What did you do then?" 

Lucy just shook her head. 

"Lucy, I know this is hard." 

"How could you know? Because you've talked to a bunch of women like me?" Tears ran down Lucy's face along with fresh blood from her nose. 

Wiping her face angrily, she stared at the detective. "You couldn't possibly know. Because I DON'T KNOW!" She shifted, but it hurt and she winced. "I don't know what I'm doing right now, let alone what I was doing or not doing then." The sympathy she saw in the other woman's eyes made her angrier. "I didn't do anything, okay? I couldn't. I couldn't move, I couldn't think, and I would probably still be there if Livvie hadn't shown up at my house. Is that what you want to hear?" Turning slowly, Lucy pulled the jacket around her tighter and lay on her side. 

Sighing, the detective approached the bed. "That's all I need. I have to get your doctor's report, and I'll be in touch in a few days."

Unable to answer her, Lucy nodded. 

"If you think of anything else, call me." Laying her business card on the table next to the bed, the detective left the room.

Mac and Kevin turned when the detective entered the hallway. 

"Detective Richards, I need to talk to you." 

"Commissioner Scorpio?" She was confused. "Is there a problem?"

"No, not the way you're thinking." He gestured towards Lucy's door. "She's a good friend of mine. And there is a development you need to be aware of." Turning to Kevin, he nodded. "Good luck." 

"Thanks." Leaving them in the hallway, Kevin took a deep breath and went back into Lucy's room.

Lucy was in the same position. On her side, facing the far wall. 

Before he could speak, she whispered his name. 

Sitting beside her, he touched her shoulder. "We need to talk about something." 

"You don't have to." Her voice was quiet, and her words puzzled him. 

"What do you mean?" 

"I mean you don't have to shrink me." 

"Lucy, I don't want to shrink you. I want to help you. But I have to tell you something." 

"We don't have to talk about.....it." Her voice was soft. 

Gently, he touched her hair. "This is so hard." 

"You don't have to." Slowly, ignoring her body's protests, she rolled over and looked at him. "I don't want to talk about it, okay? I'm okay with you not wanting to hear it." 

"What do you mean?" 

"It's okay. I didn't want to be here. I understand you didn't want to be, either." 

"I didn't want to be.." Kevin stared at her, but her eyes dropped from his. Taking her hand, he sighed. "Lucy, do you honestly believe I would have left you like that if I had a choice?"

She shook her head, but her eyes still wouldn't meet his. 

Tears came to Kevin's eyes and he took both of her hands. "I should have told you. I never should have waited." 

His words confused her, but he continued. 

"I was trying to do the right thing, Lucy, and I'm sorry. I tried to do this the right way, all I ended up doing was hurting you."

"Doc, what are you talking about? You didn't hurt me."

"Yes, I did. I should have told you. Instead, I left you when you needed me, and you thought I had run out on you." 

"No. I didn't think you'd run out on me." 

"Then what did you think? You thought I'd left you in here because.....why?"

Lucy had been thinking about his words. "You should have told me what?"

He stared at her, and her eyes met his. 

"Doc, you're scaring me." 

He sighed again. "I've known since yesterday, but I couldn't tell you." 

"Tell me what?" 

"I know who he is, Lucy." His eyes met hers, and he waited for her response.

"You know who.." She knew what he meant, but she couldn't say it. 

"I know who did this to you and.. I couldn't tell you." 

"You couldn't.." Pulling on his hands, she sat up to face him. "You couldn't tell me who he is? Why not? Don't you think I have a right to know who he is?"

"Yes! I wanted to tell you last night. But I couldn't." The way her entire body began to tremble scared Kevin, and he squeezed her hands tighter. "This was because of me, Lucy. He followed me to your house. You were right. He was after me. He thought I. I don't even know what he thought. But he's.. he's one of my patients." 

Closing her eyes, she started to cry. "You've known all along." 

"I figured it out when you started to tell me about him. But I thought he'd. He told me he'd hurt someone. I thought he'd hurt his wife." 

"Mandy." Opening her eyes, she looked at him. "What about her?" 

Kevin shrugged. "As far as I know, she's safe. She was leaving town. When he showed up at my office, I thought he'd found her. I never dreamt he'd.. that you were...I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." 

"Kevin..." Pulling one of her hands away from his, she touched his face. "This isn't your fault. I just don't understand why you didn't tell me." 

Leaning his face into her hand, he sighed. "Because he's a patient. Anything he said to me was considered-" 

"Confidential." She finished for him. "But I...he... I wouldn't have told anyone if you'd told me." 

"I know." Kevin slid closer to her. "But I had to do this right, Lucy. There were papers that had to be filed. We couldn't run the risk of there being ANY way his lawyer could get him out of this." 

"We?" She looked at him, and he realized that wasn't how he wanted to tell her how many people knew.

When he didn't answer, she was afraid of what he didn't want to say to her. "We. Kevin, who... how many.....WHO KNOWS, KEVIN! You couldn't tell me, how many people COULD you tell?"

"Scott knows. Gail, Lee, Alan, and Ian." 

"They all know everything?"

Kevin nodded. 

She began to cry harder. "I don't....I don't want to think about this." Shaking her head again, she pulled away from him. 

"Lucy," 

"I'm okay. I just... everybody knows. Everybody knew who did this to me BEFORE I DID!" 

"I'm sorry. I wanted to do the right thing. All I did was screw up. I'm sorry, Lucy." 

"I know. I'm not.. I just... What's his name?"

"Trent Davis." 

"Trent Davis. That's good, you know? At least I can put a name to his face. I guess that's more than I knew twenty minutes ago." She slid off the other side of the bed to stand. But she ended up leaning on the bed to get on her feet. Holding on to the bed, she continued to ramble as she made her way around the bed. "I mean, I like to at least know the name of every guy that's.. I've.. he....Okay, not every guy. There are probably one or two that I didn't know, or can't remember, but I like to try, you know? It makes it better, somehow. To at least know his name." 

Standing, Kevin moved towards her. "Lucy," He had no idea what to say to her. When he reached her, she stepped back, and he stopped. 

Pulling his jacket tighter around her body, she stared at him. Her eyes met his for a moment, then she closed her eyes and sighed. "It doesn't make it much better." She whispered before she shook her head and looked at him again. 

This time she stepped closer to him and leaned her forehead against his chest. As he started to put his arms around her, she pulled away a little. "Don't. I just......"

Dropping his arms to his side, he stood still while she leaned on him. She reached for his hand and held on to it as she made her way to the bathroom. "I need a shower. I have to get. I need to.." Kevin held her hand and helped her across the room. "Are you sure you can stand up on your own?" 

"I have to." She looked at him. "I feel... I need.." Tears slid down her face, and she shrugged. "I feel so dirty. I don't know if I'll ever feel.... Clean again, but I have to try, you know?" 

He didn't trust his voice to talk to her, so he nodded. Before she went inside the bathroom, he touched her face. "Listen to me for a minute. There are a couple more things you need to know." 

"Are these things I want to know?" 

"Yes." 

She leaned on the doorjamb and looked at him. 

"I checked his medical records. You don't have to worry about that." 

"What?" 

"He doesn't have AIDS, or Hepatitis, or anything like that." 

Her body physically relaxed, and Kevin thought she was going to fall. But she didn't, and she shook her head. "That's good. I mean, I was trying not to think about it, but I....I was thinking about it." 

"I know." 

Holding her ribs, she sighed. "What's the other thing?"

"This has been.... I assumed....I shouldn't have. I need to know what you want." 

"What I want?"

He took her hand and held it. "I need to know if you want to press charges."

Staring at the floor, she whispered so softly Kevin almost didn't hear her. "What will it accomplish if I do?" 

"What do you mean?"

"I mean is it worth telling everybody..." She thought about it. "I guess half of everybody already knows, so it's not that big of a deal, right?" 

Her words were sarcastic, and Kevin turned away from her. 

"I'm sorry. That came out nasty, and I didn't mean for it to." 

"You're right. I've been making decisions for you-" 

"You've been trying to look out for me, and I know that. Right now, I don't know what I want. But I do know myself well enough to know that at some point I'm going to want him to pay for what he did." Closing her eyes, she bit her lip. Then she nodded and looked at him. "Go ahead. Whatever needs to be done. I... Mac's waiting to hear from you, isn't he." 

"Yeah." Responding to her, he kept his voice to almost a whisper. 

"Tell him.... Tell him to go ahead. And tell him thanks." 

Nodding, Kevin moved closer to her slowly. He touched her face and leaned his face against her head. The hand he was holding clenched his, and he felt her other hand grip his shirt. Not moving to touch her, he kissed the side of her head. "I love you." 

"I know. I love you, too. I just... I need... I don't know what I need." 

Her voice cracked, and he whispered in her ear. "You need time, Lucy. That's all."

They stood that way for a moment, then Lucy pulled away from him. Slowly, she backed into the bathroom and shut the door behind her.   


  
After he heard the water running, Kevin picked up the phone and paged Mac. It was only about 5 minutes later, he heard a soft tap on the door. When he opened it, Kevin saw Mac and Detective Richards standing in the hallway. 

Keeping his voice low, Kevin nodded. "She said for you to go ahead."

"I'll get the medical reports and the police reports over to Dara. We can get a warrant before he gets out of Mercy."

Richards looked at Mac, who sighed. "I know this is your investigation, but I have a personal interest in this case." 

"I know. I just wish someone had clued me in on this guy before he was transferred."

Before either man could respond, she continued. "I know why you couldn't, but it would have been nice. Now I have to wait until I get the warrant before I can even talk to him." 

Mac checked his watch. "Then go ahead and head over there and wait for my call. I'll go to Dara now and get the warrant."

"Okay." She nodded, then gestured towards the bathroom door. "How is she?" 

Kevin sighed. "It's going to take her some time. But she'll get through it. Karen said she's going to release her today. I would appreciate it if Cassandra would come by and talk to her at the house."

"She usually follows up, but I'll call her and double check." 

Richards looked at her watch. "I have a few things to do, but I'll be at Mercy in about two hours." 

"That should be perfect. I'll have the warrant run over to you as soon as it's in my hand." Mac looked at Kevin. "You need something else, call me, okay?"

Kevin nodded and walked back to the chair and sat in it. Watching Mac and Richards leave, he sighed and leaned back in the chair. 

  
Lucy stood in the shower and stared at the walls, which were a golden tile. She decided that she hated it. If she had known she was going to spend so much time in the luxury suite at the hospital when she designed it, she would have gone with a softer tone. Not so much yellow. Becoming more critical of her own taste in design, she looked around at the fixtures and the rails along the side. Finally her eyes dropped to the floor, and the sight of her own blood washing from her body stopped her mind from wandering. Forced to think about what had happened to her, Lucy grabbed the rail to keep herself from falling. She'd successfully avoided looking in the mirror to avoid seeing the bruises on her face, but she couldn't avoid the bruises which covered her ribs and thighs. 

Her entire body began to tremble, and suddenly her legs refused to support her. Using the rail to stay on her feet, Lucy leaned down until she was sitting on the handicap access seat in the back of the shower. Once she was there, she began to cry. In the solitude of the shower, Lucy stopped fighting the hysteria that had been threatening to overwhelm her. Knowing Kevin was right outside waiting for her, she left the water running so he couldn't hear her sobs. All she wanted to do was be alone and cry. 

  
Livvie tapped on the door before she inched it open. Kevin stood and looked at her. "You look like you didn't get a whole lot of sleep." 

"Actually, I did. Jack and Victor cleaned....what the cleaning crew wouldn't. They insisted I got some sleep. I'm just worried about Lucy. How is she?"

"At the moment, she's in the shower. It's a step in the right direction. Karen should be here any minute to check her over again before she releases her." 

Nodding, Livvie handed Kevin the bag containing the clothes she'd brought for Lucy. "Do they have any idea who it was?"

Kevin sighed. "Yeah. They know. I guess I can tell you now. He was one of my patients." 

"What? One of your patients? Why?"

"A lot of reasons that really don't matter at this point. The police are going to arrest him." 

"Good." Livvie sighed. 

"Livvie," Kevin wasn't sure how to start. "This hasn't been easy for you. I appreciate everything you've done." 

"Dad, I wanted to help. I mean, it wasn't like I could do anything else." 

"You did a lot." Kevin hugged Livvie. "And I'm sorry you ended up doing it." He sighed, letting her go.

Another knock on the door caused Livvie and Kevin to turn and find Karen entering the room. "Where is she?" 

Kevin pointed to the bathroom. 

Karen stared at the door for a minute. "I need to examine her before I release her." Making a decision, Karen knocked on the door. "Lucy?" 

There was no answer, and Karen looked at Kevin. Now Kevin was worried, and he approached the door himself and knocked. 

"Lucy?" Kevin and Karen stared at each other, neither liking the silence that answered them. 

Turning the doorknob, Karen opened the door a crack and called Lucy's name again. 

Hearing the door open, Lucy pulled herself to her feet and ran her face under the water. "I'll be out in a minute." 

"I just wanted to take a quick look at you before I released you." Karen's voice was soft. "There's a clean gown in the drawer, I'll wait outside for you." 

"Okay." After the door closed again, Lucy sighed. She knew it was time to get herself together and make a move. Picking up the small trial size soap, she opened it. The scent of the Jax brand was familiar, and comforting. She remembered there were cases of the trial size soap, shampoo and conditioner under the sink, and for a   
moment she wondered if she'd need every bit of it to wash the feeling from her body. 

Karen looked at Kevin and Livvie, not knowing what to say. 

Standing behind Livvie, Kevin took her shoulders and sighed. "Karen, what are the follow up instructions for her?"

"Just to take it easy. I already sent a couple scripts to the pharmacy for her, they should be here any minute. I'd like to see her in a week or so, just to check the bruises. And.." Karen hesitated for a moment. "She should follow up with." Staring at them, Karen realized that they both knew already, and she wasn't revealing   
anything to either of them. "with her gynecologist. Just to be sure." 

Kevin's eyes dropped, and his hands on Livvie's shoulders tightened. 

Karen continued. "And I think you're more qualified to know what kind of counseling she's going to need." 

"Qualified." Kevin almost laughed. "I don't feel qualified." 

"You know her better than anyone, and you're trained to help people-"

"When I'm objective!" Kevin almost shouted at Karen, then he realized that Lucy could probably hear him. "I'm hardly objective, Karen." 

"No, but you know her, Kevin. And you want to help her. And before she comes out, you and I need to talk about when you're going to go down to the lab." 

"Lab?" Kevin was confused. 

"We talked about this last night?" Karen stared at him, really not wanting to spell it out in front of his daughter.

Kevin realized she was talking about the sample to match the DNA. "I can come by tomorrow. Today, I just want to focus on her." 

Nodding, Karen checked her watch and sighed. "I really don't want to rush her, but I have other patients." 

Before Kevin could reply, the door opened, and Lucy appeared. She still had his jacket around her over the hospital gown. For a moment, she held onto the doorjamb and stared at them. 

It felt like every step took more out of Lucy than she had. When she'd opened the bathroom door, she'd been surprised to see Livvie standing beside Kevin. The expression on Livvie's face when she looked at Lucy made Lucy wish the bruises would go away quickly. Forcing herself to take a step, Lucy moved towards Livvie and hugged her. "I'm okay." 

Livvie started to hug Lucy, but when she stiffened, Livvie loosened her grip on her. 

"I'm sorry I scared you." Lucy whispered, and Livvie pulled away, shaking her head. 

"I wish I'd gotten there sooner." 

Kevin and Lucy both shook their heads. "No," Lucy squeezed Livvie's hand. "You don't. The guy was nuts, Livvie. You wouldn't have scared him off, you would have gotten hurt. I'm grateful that you got there when you did, but I will always thank the Universe that you didn't get there while he was still there."

It hit Kevin how close Livvie had been to also being hurt by Trent, and he started to shake. Moving closer to them, he put one arm around Livvie and pulled his daughter to him. He stared at Lucy, wanting to reach out to her, but not knowing what she would do. 

Lucy wanted to go to him, but she couldn't force herself to move. His arms around her were all she wanted, but she wasn't ready. Instead she turned to Karen. 

Karen moved towards Lucy. "If Kevin and Livvie will give us a minute, they can take you home." 

Nodding, Kevin led Livvie to the hallway. Closing the door behind them, Kevin stopped and looked at Livvie. "I forgot.. I know I promised you.." He walked to the Nurses' Station and picked up the phone. When Victor answered the phone, Kevin simply said "It's me." 

"Kevin! How is Lucy?" 

"She's... better. Karen's going to release her in a few minutes. Look, I know you've already done a lot, but." 

"Nonsense! I'd do anything for her, and you know it." Victor thought about what Kevin said. "Jack and I are headed for the grocery store as we speak. Her refrigerator is empty." 

"Victor, she's Lucy. If Serena isn't there, her fridge is always empty. But I didn't think about the fact that she wouldn't be able to get out. Thanks." 

"But I gather there is something else you need me to do?" 

"Yeah. Livvie took my car to Lucy's yesterday. She brought Lucy here and.." 

"Livvie told me." Victor knew Kevin was having a hard time. "We'll head there instead. Livvie and Jack can take my car, and I'll take care of Livvie's." 

"Thanks, Victor." 

Hanging up the phone, he turned to Livvie. "Victor's on his way here. You and Jack can take his car, but I do need another favor." 

"What?" Livvie stared at him. 

"Here." Pulling out his wallet, Kevin wrote a number on the back of one of his cards and handed the card and his ATM card to Livvie. "I need you and Jack to run by the grocery store. Victor's going to take car of your car, and you can take Victor's. My pin is on the back of the card." 

Looking at it, Livvie couldn't help herself. She laughed.

"What?"

"I guess Eve never figured it out." At Kevin's questioning expression, Livvie turned the card around and held it up. "Lucy's birthday?"

Returning her smile, he shrugged. "I told myself every time I used it for three years that I was going to change it. Just never got around to it. I guess that should have told me something, right?"

"Dad, I haven't known you that long, but I think there are a LOT of things that should have told you something." Livvie stared at him. "Have you heard from Eve?" 

"No." Kevin sighed. "And to be honest, it doesn't matter at this point. When she's ready, she'll come back. And I guess she'll find out what's going on." 

"Good." 

"Livvie, there's nothing good about this. But Eve's gone because Eve wants to be. And I'm finished trying to protect Eve's feelings at Lucy's expense."

"I'm glad." At Kevin's stare, Livvie sighed. "I don't care about Eve one way or the other. But I know how much you and Lucy love each other. And I also know how crazy it was making both of you to pretend nothing was going on between you." 

"We were that obvious?" 

Nodding, Livvie eyed the clock behind him on the wall. "I'm going to go downstairs and meet Victor and Jack. We'll go to the store and take everything to Lucy's."

"Thanks." Kevin hugged her again. "I'll see you later." 

After Livvie had disappeared into the elevator, Kevin walked back down the hall to pace in front of Lucy's room.

Lucy stared at Karen and waited for her to speak. 

"Lucy, I just want to make sure we caught all your injuries. I don't need to examine you again, it wouldn't accomplish anything, and I know you're... sore." 

Relieved, Lucy nodded. "How long.. I mean... when can.." 

Karen tried to figure out what Lucy was trying to say. She'd never seen Lucy so unable to get out what she was trying to say, and she knew that wasn't a good sign. "You're going to be sore for a week or so. The bruises should fade, but you have some pretty deep ones. They're going to hurt. There are some minor internal injuries, but they'll heal. I would recommend against sex for at least a week." 

Closing her eyes, Lucy sighed. She knew it would pass, but the thought of making love, even to Kevin, wasn't something she wanted to contemplate. 

"Does this mean I can go home now?"

"Yes. Your scripts are on the way. As soon as they get here you can go. I just ordered you a muscle relaxer for pain. If you have any trouble sleeping, I'm sure Kevin can get you something." Karen looked at Lucy for a moment. "Lucy, if you need anything, give me a call." 

"Thanks, Karen. I appreciate it." As Karen left the room, Lucy picked up the bag of clothes and began to get dressed. 

  
Trent paced in his room, wondering what was going to happen to him. He'd been arrested before, but he'd always known that Mandy would come to him. She always did. She understood him, and she loved him. This time it wasn't Mandy. He realized that he'd hurt a woman he didn't know, and he had no idea what this woman was going to do. Reaching for his own throat, Trent carefully touched the deep bruises that wrapped around him. For a moment, he wished Kevin had finished the job he'd started. That way no one else would get hurt. And, if he had to be honest with himself, he deserved it for what he'd done to her. 

The door opened, and he turned to see his mother. 

Crossing the room, she went to Trent and stared at him. "What happened?" 

"She left me, Mom." He sighed. "She left me and I don't know where she is." 

Maria Davis pulled her son into her arms and held him. "That woman just never understood you, honey. I knew that. She never really understood the problems you have." 

"I have a lot of problems, Mom. I have a lot more now." 

"It's okay. We'll take care of it." Her eyes caught the bruises around Trent's throat. "What happened to you?" 

"I'm okay."

"I didn't ask if you were okay. I asked you what happened to you." 

Knowing his mother would help him, Trent told his mother what Kevin had done to him. 

  
Kevin tapped on Lucy's door and opened it. She was wearing the baby blue sundress Livvie had brought her, but she still had Kevin's jacket wrapped around her. 

Staring at her, Kevin had no idea what to say to her. In all the time he'd known her, through everything they'd been through together, he couldn't remember a time he'd ever seen her look so.. the words small and vulnerable came to his mind. 

Lucy's first instinct had been, as it always was, to run to him when he entered the room. But her skin was still crawling, and even the thought of Kevin's hands on her was too much. Even as her eyes searched his for an answer, she knew he didn't have any. 

"Are you ready to go home?" He kept his voice low. 

"More than ready." She sighed. "Doc, I don't want you to think I'm shutting you out. I'm not. I just.." Her eyes dropped to the ground. "I don't know what I'm doing." 

Moving closer to her, Kevin reached for her hands. "You'll figure it out." When he hands took hers, she squeezed them to tightly, her knuckles turned white. They were still standing there holding hands when the orderly arrived with the wheel chair to take her to the car.  



	6. Surviving Loves Obstacles Chapter 6

Detective Richards sighed and dialed Mac's number. "We've got problems." 

"Like what? You've got the warrant, right?" 

"Yeah, but the perp's mother has hired some hot shot attorney. Mercy won't let me talk to him until his new shrink feels he's ready." 

"Great. I guess we'll have to wait them out."

"The minute they release him, I can take him. Problem is, I don't know when that's going to be. I'm suspecting he's gonna commit himself voluntarily. I mean, that would make sense." 

"Especially if he's going to cop a plea." Now Mac sighed. "Alright. We'll just have to keep tabs on him and find out what's going on."

"It gets worse. Apparently your friend really did a number on him. The nuns here won't have their patient abused any more. His lawyer found out Kevin works with the PCPD, now they're convinced that if they let us have him, Kevin will get another shot at him." 

"Wonderful. After what he did to Lucy they're going to protect him." 

"Oh, they're on a 'he's sick, we have to help him' mission. Mac, I'm not liking what I'm seeing here. This is going to be ugly. He's a son of a bitch that deserved what he got and more, but the fact that Kevin's a doctor, AND works with us isn't going to go over well on the Civil Rights side. The lawyer is on his way to the courthouse as we speak to subpoena Kevin's records. On the perp and on Kevin." 

"I take it you know a little about Kevin's history." 

"Only what I've heard here, and it doesn't sound good." Her voice dropped to a whisper on the phone. "Mac, I've only met the guy a couple times, and he seems okay, but what the hell were you thinking when you hired him to head up that S.W.A.T. team? I mean, breakdowns, stalking, kidnapping,-" 

"I know all about it. There's a lot more to it then what you're hearing, believe me. Kevin's a good guy." 

"I believe you. And as far as working the perp over, I can understand that. But his history isn't going to make this case any easier." 

"The case is simple. We've got all the evidence we need to get a conviction."

"Okay, the case is simple, but the ramifications aren't going to be. You might want to give him a heads up on the fact that they're trying to make a move on him. And you know they're probably going to go after her, too. Standard defense in a rape case."

"They can't use her past against her." 

"That only pertains to her sexual history. They can't bring up every guy she's ever slept with and try to prove it doesn't matter because she's not a virgin. Depends on what they find. I mean, if they find anything that could make her an unreliable witness, or. I don't know, you'd be surprised what a lawyer can do to a victim." 

Mac closed his eyes and sighed again. A perjury conviction and an ongoing affair with a married man would definitely qualify as something the defense would try to use. His mind was so busy searching for things he knew about Kevin and Lucy that the lawyer would find he almost didn't realize that she was still talking. 

"We're going to get a conviction on this one, but it will give them ammunition for a plea. They get the city over a barrel, and the mayor's going to want to keep this as quiet as possible." 

"NO!" Mac literally yelled into the phone. "I don't care what the attorney tries. This guy is NOT going to walk away from what he did to her!" 

"I'm not saying he will, Mac. I know what he did to her. I saw her, remember? I'm just saying this one's going to bring a lot of heat to the department. I do this every day of my life, and I do it because I think any man that would do that to a woman should rot in hell. Him included. And between you and me, I wouldn't have lost any sleep over it if Kevin had killed him. We've got the physical evidence, but we also have the fact that the guys nuts. Literally. Paperwork to prove it, you know? We also have an attending physician who has paperwork of his own who happens to also work for the PCPD. I'm sure you have an idea of what her record looks like. Unless she's been a nun-" 

Mac laughed, he couldn't help it. 

"Something funny?" 

His memory brought forth an image of Felicia and Lucy dressed as nuns in France. "Long story, but not important. But I get where you're going. Her record has more spots then Kevin's."

"We need to meet with Dara. Pull up everything on the perp, and anything on Kevin and Lucy that his lawyer could find. Try to get the jump on them. It's the only way we're going to stay one step ahead." 

Mac thought about everything she said. "You seem to know a lot more about the conviction process then most cops. You ever think of working with the D.A.'s office yourself?" 

"Nah. It's too much fun when they resist arrest." 

He could tell she was smiling. 

"Nobody believes a D.A. when the perp gets a few bruises in their office. There's nothing like throwing some scumbag woman beater to the ground and slapping the cuffs on him. Makes me feel like I've done my good deed for the day, you know?"

"Stress relief, too, I imagine." 

"Not to mention one hell of an exercise program." 

Mac laughed again. "Okay, I'll set up the meeting with Dara, and pull the records-" 

"Stay away from Mercy. I don't want to go snooping around his condition when they brought him here. Give them a reason to think we're running scared. Let them make the first move on that end. We know all the details of that." 

"Got it. I'll call you with the time." 

"Okay." Hanging up the phone, she put her car in gear and pulled out of the parking lot. She wanted to go check on Lucy, but not until she had some better news for her. 

Mac hung up the phone and stared at the wall for a few minutes. He had to come up with a way to tell Kevin and Lucy that everything they'd worked to get past was about to come back and haunt both of them. 

  
Kevin opened the car door and offered Lucy his hand. Taking it, she pulled herself to her feet and stared at him. Her body was still protesting at being forced to move, and she walked slowly to the front door. When Kevin opened the door for her, she found herself taking a deep breath before she stepped inside. Her ribs reminded her they were bruised and she grabbed them. 

"You okay?" Kevin stepped closer to her, watching her wince. 

"Yeah. Only hurts when I breathe." Stepping into the living room, Lucy looked around. The house was spotless, and she realized that somebody had cleaned it. Something wasn't right, and it took her a moment to realize it. "The phone-" 

"Victor will pick up a new on today." Kevin was surprised that she'd noticed. "It was..." 

"Covered with blood, you can say it." Slowly, she walked towards the kitchen. 

Knowing what she was doing, Kevin followed her. 

When she reached the door, she stopped for a moment.

"You don't have to do this." His voice was soft in her ear. 

"Yes, I do. This is my home, Kevin. I'm not going to let.. I can't be..I just..I have to.." Tears came, and she bit her lip.

"You only have to do what-" 

"Don't. Don't shrink me." Her voice was sharp. 

"I'm sorry. I don't mean to." He sighed. "You tell me, Lucy. What do you want me to do?"

"I just want you to be here." 

"I'm here." Staying close behind her, he followed her as she forced herself to enter the kitchen.

When she reached the kitchen, she stopped so quickly he actually walked into her. She stepped forward from him, and her eyes traveled over the room. The floor was clean, but in her mind, it was still covered with blood. 

Standing behind her, Kevin waited to see what she was going to do. He understood her feeling of needing to face it, but he wasn't sure what it was going to do to her. 

Her body began to tremble as the memories flooded her mind. She remembered crawling away from him, only to be slammed into the ground. As much as she didn't want to remember, she saw him over her, and felt the pain that ran through her body. Crying, she turned and ran into Kevin. Before she stopped to think about it, she wrapped her arms around his waist and put her head on his shoulder. His arms circled her, and she held him tighter. 

Relieved that she allowed him to hold her, Kevin stroked her hair and let her cry. He started to back her out of the kitchen, but she stumbled. Making a decision, Kevin leaned down and gently picked her up in his arms. Her ribs and back protested, but she wrapped her arms around his neck and cried harder. 

Trying to not hurt her, Kevin carried her slowly to the bedroom and laid her on the bed. Reaching over her, he pulled the comforter up and wrapped it around her as she lay on her side. As he moved down the bed to shift the comforter, he turned to look at her before he took her shoes off of her feet and dropped them to kick them under the bed. Her crying had slowed, but she was still shaking. Walking to the other side of the bed, he sat behind her. It went through his mind that it hadn't been 24 hours since he'd made love to her right where he was sitting. And how much had happened in those hours. 

Lucy felt him sit behind her and inched back towards him. Leaning over, he reached out and touched her head. He didn't want to crowd her, and he was surprised when she reached up and took his hand to pull him over to her. 

Not sure what she wanted, he allowed her to pull him closer. Stretching out behind her, he kept a small distance between them until she pulled his arm farther over her own body. Even with the comforter between them he could feel her entire body trembling. Leaning closer, he kissed her head softly. Her arms wrapped around his arm in front of her, and she actually snuggled closer to him. Sighing, he kicked off his own shoes and shifted until he was comfortable behind her. 

"Thank you." Her voice was little more than a whisper, but her words confused him. 

"For what?" 

"For not shrinking me, or trying to analyze me. I know that's your first instinct." 

"Lucy," He moved his head up until he was whispering in her ear. "I love you. My first instinct is to do whatever you need me to do to help you." 

"I love you, too. Right now this is all I need. You holding me." 

Kissing her again, he held her as tightly as he dared with her injuries. "Then that's what you'll get." 

Slowly, her trembling subsided and her body relaxed against his. Her breathing became regular and deeper until Kevin realized she was falling asleep. Once he was sure she was asleep, he began to relax. Closing his eyes, he allowed himself to feel how tired he was, and soon he was sleeping beside her. 

  
Eve opened the door to the lighthouse and looked around. She knew Kevin wasn't home, and for a moment, she was glad. Knowing that she had to face him didn't make the thought of doing it any easier. The walls of the lighthouse seemed to close in on her, and she began to pace. A thought of calling him came to her mind, but she quickly dismissed it. Interrupting him at work wasn't how she wanted to tell him she was back in town. She figured he'd be finished at some point and come home soon enough. 

  
Kevin opened his eyes and realized he heard voices in the other room. Being careful to not disturb Lucy, he moved away from her and crawled off the bed. 

Victor, Livvie and jack turned when Kevin reached the kitchen. 

"We didn't wake you up, did we?" Victor stood. 

"No. And Lucy's still asleep." 

"Good." Victor motioned for Kevin to sit down. "You could probably use some more sleep." 

Moving towards the coffee pot, Kevin shook his head. "I'm fine." 

"We were just getting ready to go." Livvie and Jack stood. "Everything's put away, and the card is on the counter behind you." 

"Thanks." Kevin turned to Livvie and hugged her. Then he reached his hand out to Jack. "Livvie told me you cleaned up. I appreciate it." 

Shaking Kevin's hand, Jack shrugged. "It wasn't a big deal. Cleaning it, I mean. I just hope she's okay." 

"Me, too." After pouring a cup of coffee, Kevin followed them to the living room. He realized they'd stopped and he followed their stares to see Lucy standing in the doorway to the bedroom. She'd changed into a long satin robe and she looked like she was fighting to stay on her feet. 

Lucy was fighting to not run back into the bedroom when she saw the looks on Livvie's and Jack's faces when they saw her. The bruises on her face were never going to fade fast enough for her. But she licked her lips and moved towards them. 

"How are you feeling?" Livvie wasn't sure what else to say to her.

"Better, thanks." Her voice was quiet and she stared at them. "I guess I have you guys to thank for cleaning up." 

"And Victor. He's in the kit-" Jack stopped when Victor came out of the kitchen. 

When Victor saw Lucy, he crossed the room in three steps to hug her. 

Kevin was relieved to see her move into Victor's arms and return his embrace. 

Victor held her gently. "How are you?"

"I'm okay." 

Leaning away from her, Victor stared into her eyes. "Really?"

She tried to avoid his eyes but she couldn't hide from them. Shaking her head, she leaned against him. 

"Oh, Lucy." Victor held her again. "I'm so sorry. I wish I could make this go away." 

"Me, too." She closed her eyes and leaned her head on his shoulder. 

After a moment, she pulled away. "I know you would if you could." 

"I would do anything for you. It breaks my heart that I can't stop you from hurting."

"I know. It means a lot that you would." Victor's arms were comforting around her, and she leaned against him. 

After a few minutes, he released her and stepped back. "You need to get some more sleep. I'm going to go." 

"I'm tired of sleeping. But I'm still tired." She shrugged. 

"It will pass. Promise." Victor hugged her one more time before heading towards the door. He stared at Kevin. "Either one of you need anything, you call." 

"We will. Thanks, Victor." 

"We're going to go, too. Livvie stepped closer and stopped. 

"I appreciate everything you did, but I hate the fact that you got dragged into this." Lucy pulled Livvie to her and hugged her. 

"I just want you to be okay." 

"I will be." Letting go of Livvie, Lucy looked at Kevin. He moved to her and she took his arm. Her fingers dug into his arm, and he knew she was in pain. Still holding Kevin's arm, she reached for Jack's hand and pulled him closer. "Thank you." She kissed his cheek gently. 

Still in shock at how badly she was hurt, Jack was afraid to touch her. Using both of his hands, he squeezed her hand. "Lucy, it's okay. I mean, I didn't do a whole lot." 

"I appreciate it." 

"Okay, you win. You're welcome, okay? I gotta go. You get some sleep and take care of yourself." 

Jack turned and followed Livvie out the door. As soon as they were gone, Kevin turned to Lucy and looked at her. "Hurt?" 

She nodded. 

"Come on." Taking her back in the bedroom, Kevin helped her lay down. "I'm going to make you something to eat, and then you're going to take one of those." He pointed to the bottle on the nightstand. "Don't look at me like that. I'm not shrinking you. Karen gave you these for a reason." 

She started to argue with him, but changed her mind. It was pointless to try to hide from him how much pain she was in. 

  
Scott closed the file and sighed. This attorney Trent's mother hired had an agenda. Scott was sure of it. Everything in the guy's history went against him doing anything for nothing, but this wasn't a client that had money. It had to be the malpractice angle. That was the only way he was going to get paid for his time. That and the headlines he liked to be a part of. Scott winced when he thought about how public this was going to be. This case was definitely going to be tried in the media before it ever hit a courtroom. 

Picking up the phone, Scott called Mac. 

"Hey, it's Scott." 

"I really don't have anything for you. The guys still at Mercy." 

"I know that. I also know a few other things you might be interested in. You ever hear of this attorney, Schneider?" 

"No. But I guess you have." 

"I hadn't. But I know quite a bit about him now. I'd like to fill you in on what I know." 

"Might not be a bad idea. Give me about an hour, and you can fill me and Dara in on it." 

"Fine. I'll be there." Hanging up the phone, Scott had another idea. 

Victor stared at his cell and knew it was Scott before he answered it. "I just came from Lucy's." 

"How is she?" For a moment, Scott forgot why he'd called Victor. 

"Oh, Scott. What he did to her." 

"I know, Victor, and we're gonna make him pay for it. That's why I called you." 

"What can I do?" 

"Well, this attorney, Schneider. I need to know what he's up to." 

"Scott, I can't-" 

"I'm not talking about anything illegal here, Victor. I just want to know what he's checking into. He'll probably have an investigator on the case. I'm guessing he's going to check out Kevin and Lucy. I want to know what he comes up with. You and I both know there's a lot of dirt he can find. I want to know exactly what he finds, so we can fight it." 

"What about him?" Victor meant Trent and Scott knew it.

"I've already got somebody on that. That's all expected. I want the unexpected, and I want it quietly. That's why I called you." 

"Consider it done." Victor nodded. 

"And another thing. Call Kevin and tell him to make sure Lucy stays away from the TV and the newspaper. I don't expect this to stay quiet." 

"You know, Scott, I think Lucy would appreciate hearing your voice sometime, too." 

"I know, but I don't want to call her until I've got something good to tell her. I'm on my way to meet with Mac and Dara." 

"I'll take care of those matters and get back with you." 

"Thanks." Hanging up the phone, Scott shoved the file in his briefcase. It was time to fill Dara in on the competition.


	7. Surviving Loves Obstacles Chapter 7

Lucy woke to the sound of her own crying. A feeling of nausea overcame her and she jumped to her feet. Running to the bathroom, she fell to her knees on the cool tile. 

The bed shaking woke Kevin, and he watched her run into the bathroom. Sitting up, he waited to see if she was going to come out on her own. 

After a few minutes, Lucy was finally able to stand and went to the sink. Running the cold water, she rinsed her mouth and stared at the mirror. Her own bruised face stared back at her, but it didn't feel like her. It was like staring at a stranger. She shook her head. That wasn't it. It was her, but she felt like a stranger in her own body. That was it. A million things went through her mind, anger at him, at herself for not being able to stop him, the feeling of being so out of control that she'd never be back in control of herself again. Knowing it was a bad idea, she opened her robe and stared at herself in the mirror. The deep bruises that covered her were a reminder of where Trent had put his hands on her. She started to shake as the feeling of being dirty returned with a force, and she moved to the shower. Dropping her robe, she stepped inside and turned on the water. Initially it was icy, and she shivered, but didn't move. The water warmed as it beat on her, but she didn't notice. Keeping her eyes closed, she shook as she cried. The water got hotter, but she still didn't move. 

Kevin stood outside the door to the bathroom, trying to decide what to do. Part of him wanted to go to her, but part of him was afraid it would only make her feel like he was 'shrinking' her. 

Facing the back of the shower stall, she leaned on the wall to stay on her feet. The hot water was beating on her back, but all she could feel was the cold kitchen tile under her back as Trent violated her body. As hard as she tried, she couldn't shake the memories, feeling them as if they were happening to her all over again. As she began to cry harder, she slid down the wall to sit on her knees on the shower floor. Water ran over her head, and down her face. As it ran into her mouth, she remembered the feeling of the blood from her nose when he'd shoved her into the floor. Coughing, she started to scream.

Her screams convinced Kevin. Running into the bathroom, he went to her and reached for her gently. The water hit his hand, and he jumped. It had to be nearly scalding, but she didn't seem to notice. Her skin was already red, and he turned up the cold to lower her body temperature. As the water cooled her, he reached for her again, this time putting his hand on her back. As soon as he touched her, she screamed again and pulled away from him. 

"Lucy," His heart was racing, but he tried to keep his voice low. The last thing she needed was for him to let her know how scared he was. 

Sliding to the far corner of the stall, she leaned against the wall and cried. Making a decision, Kevin turned the water off and moved closer to her. The water instantly soaked his jeans, but he kneeled beside her and touched her head. "Lucy.." 

"It won't stop." She continued to cry, but she didn't fight him when he tried to touch her again. "I just want it to stop!" Actually sitting behind her, Kevin stared at the bruises on her back and tried to think of something to say. "I don't understand, Doc. It's over! Why can't I just get over it! Every time I close my eyes he's all I can see, and I hate it!" Her voice dissolved into sobs, and Kevin moved closer to her before trying to respond. He tried to speak, but his voice caught in his throat. He could physically feel her pain, but he knew he couldn't begin to understand what she was feeling inside. Finally tears ran down his face and all he could do was whisper. 

"I don't know how to help you. I want to, but I don't know how. I love you so much, it's tearing me apart to see you like this and not be able to help you." 

"I just want to stop thinking about it." Her voice was quieter, but she was still crying. "Why can't I just get over it?"

"Because it hurts, Lucy." Taking a chance, Kevin reached for her, being careful of the bruises. "You're asking too much of yourself." His hands held her shoulders and he tried to comfort her without crowding her. "You need to-" 

"DON'T!" She screamed at him. "You promised you wouldn't shrink me!" 

"I'm sorry." 

Her voice was quieter and she sighed. "I just want to stop feeling it   
every time I close my eyes." 

Leaning away from her, Kevin reached for a towel off the rack. Laying it on her back, he began to slowly dry her body. As his hands passed over the bruises, she tensed, but didn't pull away. He watched her for a moment before he stood and gently pulled her to her feet. 

Taking the towel, he wrapped it around her over her arms and continued to dry her gently. 

Closing her eyes, Lucy stood still and tried to relax in his arms. When his hands rubbed her arms, she dropped them to her sides and let him continue. His touch was comforting and terrifying at the same time, and she began to tremble. The towel moved, and as he traveled down her body to dry her legs, she bit her lip and waited. 

Kevin realized how much he needed to touch her. She was his, and what Trent did to her had only made him more.....His mind couldn't come up with a word at first, but he understood how he felt. She was his. That was all there was to it. Keeping the towel between his hands and her body, he turned her to face him. Her eyes opened, but she stared at his chest as he stood to run the towel over the front of her body. As he neared the bruises on her ribs, she tensed in anticipation of the pain, but he simply brushed the towel over her ribs to remove the water. Visibly relaxing, she waited for him to finish. With the towel still separating them, he moved his hands over the rest of her body. As he finished, her eyes finally raised to meet his. Reaching for her robe, he wrapped it around her and waited for her to put her arms in the sleeves before he wrapped it around her and tied it gently. Picking up the towel again, he gently dried her hair as she continued to stare into his eyes. Once her hair had stopped dripping, he pulled her into his arms, and she sighed into his chest. They stood like that for a few minutes until Lucy finally forced herself to pull away. She stepped back, but kept her hands on his sides. 

Keeping his voice low, he touched her face. "Are you ready to go back to bed?" 

She nodded. 

"I need to dry off myself." He smiled at her. "I'll be out in a minute." 

She nodded again, and he leaned closer to kiss the side of her head. 

He barely heard her whispering and looked at her. "What?"

Her eyes met his, and she said it again a bit louder. "I'm yours. You know that." 

Feeling like she'd read his mind, but not surprised about it, he smiled. "You're mine, and I love you." 

Moving back into his arms, she hugged him tightly. "I love you." 

Kissing her head once more, he released her. Watching her leave the bathroom, he pulled his very wet jeans off and dried. Exiting the bathroom in a towel, he crawled under the comforter, but not the sheet. He didn't think she was ready for his naked body to be up against her. Lying on his side, he waited to see what she was going to do. She had her back to him, but as soon as he stopped moving, she moved closer to him. 

When she realized that her robe and the sheet were separating them, she leaned back into his chest. His arm circled her and she held it tightly. She felt him sigh and she snuggled closer. "I feel so warm." 

"Good." He squeezed her hand. "I want you to feel safe." 

"I always do with you." Now she sighed. "I know you're trying not to shrink me. And I appreciate it. Even if I don't sound like it." 

"You sound like you feel. You always have, and that's one of the things I've always loved about you." 

"Yeah, a hysterical basket case." She shrugged. 

"You're entitled. I want to help you, and I want you to promise that as soon as you figure out what it is that you need me to do, you'll let me know." 

"Right now, all I need is for you to hold me." 

His answer was to hold her against him. Closing her eyes, she felt herself relaxing more than she thought she was capable of at the moment. 

Feeling her relax, Kevin closed his eyes and sighed. He tried to stay awake until she fell asleep, but he wasn't sure he did. 

  
Eve opened her eyes and sat up, wincing from the light in the room. The sofa was not a good place for her to sleep, but she'd wanted to know when Kevin came home. Deciding she'd slept through his entrance, she walked slowly up the stairs, only to find the bedroom empty. 

Confused, Eve decided it was time to find out where he was. She'd been there almost 24 hours, and he hadn't come home, even to change. There was the chance he'd gone away himself. First, she checked the closet. His suitcase was there, so he hadn't packed if he'd left. Still trying to get an idea where to look, Eve checked along the dresser, the nightstand, and the bathroom. The thought of calling his cell passed through her mind, but she still felt it was better to do this in person. Finally, wondering if she was maybe intruding on his privacy, she opened the top dresser drawer. If he'd made a reservation somewhere, the information might be there. The first thing she saw was a folder from a travel agency. Sighing, she thought she'd solved the mystery, but when she opened it, she found his airplane ticket still inside. The dates were open, and the destination was Manhattan. There were two tickets inside, and a pang of guilt went through Eve. Everything she'd done to him, and he was still planning to go away with her. Holding his ticket in her hand, her eyes finally drifted to the other ticket and she stopped. The other ticket had Lucy's name on it. 

Realization hit her, and it all came together in her mind. Kevin wasn't working or out of town, he was with Lucy. He was planning on taking Lucy to Manhattan. 

Part of her was furious, but a small part of her mind tried to remind her that SHE had been the one to walk out on him. She'd known that the marriage was over, but how long had he known it? It didn't surprise her that Kevin was with Lucy, but she did have a right to wonder how long they'd been having an affair. 

The options ran through her mind. If Kevin was at Lucy's house, there was no telling how long he'd be gone. She could wait there, or go to GH, but the thought of everyone knowing all about Kevin and Lucy there made her rethink that. The first person she wanted to talk to about it was Kevin. And the odds of him coming home alone when he did decide to come home were probably pretty slim. He had no way of knowing she was there, so the chances were pretty good that Lucy would be with him. As far as Lucy went, if she knew Eve was back in town, she would make sure she was with Kevin if he came home. 

Deciding that she and Kevin were not going to get a chance alone to talk, she made up her mind. Grabbing her keys, she got in her car and headed for Lucy's. 

  
Opening his eyes, Kevin looked around and realized he couldn't move. Wrapped up in the sheet, Lucy was lying almost across the bed with her head on his chest. Staring at the back of her head, Kevin tried to figure out if she was awake or not. After a few minutes, she lifted her head and looked at him. 

"I didn't know if you were still asleep." He smiled at her. 

"I've been awake for a while. Just listening to you snore." 

"Snore. Snore? I do not snore." His voice was indignant, but he was smiling at her. 

"It that's what you choose to believe, that's okay. YOU don't have to worry about going to sleep listening to yourself. I guess a little self delusion never hurt anybody."

He laughed. "Now's who's trying to shrink who?" 

"Somebody's got to do it." She was still smiling until she tried to move, then she winced. 

"You okay?" 

"Sore. Karen said I would be for a while." Holding the sheet, she moved away and looked at him. "I'm hungry, actually." 

As far as Kevin was concerned, that was the most positive thing she'd said, and he sat up. "So am I. I guess I'll do the honors." 

"We can order brunch or something." 

He shook his head. "That's okay. It's been ages since I've had the chance to cook for you. Guess I should get used to it, right?"

"Only if you have the desire for home cooking." 

Laughing, he moved to the side of the bed and realized that his clothes were hanging in the bathroom. Taking the towel off the floor, he wrapped it around his waist and headed for the bathroom. His jeans were still a little damp, but he put them on and went back out to the bedroom. Lucy was sitting up on the side of the bed. 

Walking around to her side of the bed, Kevin reached for the phone. 

At her questioning glance, Kevin pointed to his jeans. "I'm going to call Victor and ask him to pick me up some clothes at the lighthouse." 

"Doc," She reached for his hand. "You don't need to baby sit me. This is my home, and I'm not going to let.. HIM, make me afraid to be here. If you need to go home, go. I'll be fine here." 

Knowing that she was trying to prove it to herself as much as him, Kevin sat on the bed next to her. "I don't need to go home. I do have to run to the hospital later today, but it won't take long. All I have here is a suit and a pair of jeans. That's not really what I'd call a lot of options." 

"I know you have to go home sometime." Lucy sighed. "This isn't going to wreck EITHER of our lives." 

"Okay, we'll talk about it after dinner, deal?" 

Now she laughed. "I thought I was the one that liked to put things off." 

"I'm learning. And right now, what I'm not going to put off is food." Standing, he touched her face. "While I'm slaving in the kitchen, why don't you slave away in that closet and find something to wear." 

"Okay." Reaching up, she took his hand and squeezed it. 

  
Kevin heard the door from the kitchen. Thinking it was Victor, he went to it and opened it. The shock of seeing Eve standing on the doorstep left him speechless for a moment. 

"Hi. Took a chance you'd be here." Eve shrugged. "I'm back in town." 

"I can see that." It came out a little sharper than he intended for it to, but he really didn't think Eve being there was a good idea at the moment. "I didn't know how to reach you." 

"I know. But I think we have a few things we should talk about." Hoping that Lucy couldn't hear them, Kevin kept his voice low. "Eve, this really isn't a good time. I have to go-" 

"Why? Because of Lucy?" Eve knew she had no right to be, but she was angry. "To be honest with you, Kevin, if Lucy didn't want me showing up at her door, she shouldn't have jumped into bed with my husband!" 

Before Kevin could answer, Lucy exited the bedroom and approached them. "You gave up any right concerning what I'm doing with your husband the minute YOU walked out on him!"

Her long sleeves and jeans hid the bruises on her body, but when Eve saw the bruises on Lucy's face, she stopped. "Oh, my god. What happened to you?" 

"Don't worry about it." Lucy's tone was sharp. "How long have you been back in town?"

"Since yesterday." Still in shock at Lucy's appearance, Eve automatically answered the question. Suddenly she remembered why she was there, and she turned to Kevin. "I just wanted to talk to you. Alone. I think I still have the right to talk to my husband without his other woman hanging around." 

"Other woman?" Lucy's voice grew louder. "Who the hell do you think you are? Showing up at my door to barge into my home and insult me!" 

Looking past Kevin, Eve met Lucy's stare. "I'm still his wife, Lucy. That makes you the other woman. But, I guess you've been there before, huh." 

Lucy moved closer to Eve, but Kevin turned to her. "Lucy..." 

Biting her lip, Lucy thought Kevin was about to take Eve's side and she stared at the ground. Tears came to her eyes and she mentally berated herself for being so emotional. Before she really began to cry, she knew she had to get away from them and headed for the kitchen. 

Kevin knew Lucy wasn't up to a verbal assault from Eve, and he tried to put a stop to it. But as Lucy started to move past him into the kitchen, her eyes avoided his and he realized what she was thinking. Reaching for her, Kevin pulled her to him and put his arm around her shoulders. "Eve, you've been gone for almost a month. Not a word about where you were going, or even a phone call about when you were coming back. So to show up here out of the blue and act like the injured party is way out of line."

Eve sighed. "I didn't show up here to fight. I just want to talk to you." 

"And I said this isn't a good time. But to make it short, I'll give you something to go on. I'm not going to deny what's going on between Lucy and me. I would have told you if you'd bothered to contact me." 

"How long?" Eve stared at him.

"What?" 

"I have a right to know how long you've been having an affair with her!" 

Lucy closed her eyes, but Kevin sighed again. "Not long." 

Eve stared at Lucy, surprised that Lucy wasn't fighting Kevin to get to her. Once again, she wondered who had put that bruise on her face. Responding to Kevin's resigned attitude, Eve sighed. "I had a feeling, but I just wanted to know. I'm not stupid, Kevin." 

"This started after YOU left town." 

Eve realized that Kevin thought she was accusing him, and she shook her head. "I'm not talking about this, I mean, when I found the plane tickets, I knew for sure, but-"

"Plane tickets?" Now Lucy stared at her. 

After almost glaring at Eve for a moment, Kevin turned to Lucy. "I was going to surprise you once Eve came back. I have tickets to take you to Manhattan for a few days." He shrugged. "Before.." 

Lucy's eyes dropped, and Eve was more curious than ever. But Kevin turned back to Eve. "Eve, this isn't as easy as you seem to think it is." 

"Easy?" Eve felt a fury she hadn't known she had. "You think this is easy? Do you think I didn't know where you really wanted to be? She's your best friend, the woman you tell everything, the one woman who really understands you? Didn't you tell me all of that constantly? How far of a leap was it to go from being her friend to her lover, Kevin!" 

Furious, Kevin stepped towards her, but as he did he pulled Lucy with him, and she fought a cry of pain. Instantly, Kevin turned to her. "I'm sorry." Reaching for her, he lowered his voice. 

"I'm okay." But her face was white, and Kevin wasn't sure she was going to stay on her feet. 

Holding her hands, he turned to Eve. "This is pointless. You made your choice, I made mine. We can discuss this at length another time. If you want, I can handle the divorce, and you can stay in the lighthouse as long as you need to. I'll stay here." 

Shocked at Kevin's tone, Eve stared at him, but he was looking at Lucy. Eve realized how bad Lucy looked, and she knew that a conversation at this point wasn't going to happen. Whoever had put that bruise on her face had done a whole lot more, and Kevin's attention was focused on her. 

"Okay. Whatever. You handle it. I'll let you know as soon as I can move out." Backing out the door, she looked at Kevin, but he wouldn't take his eyes off Lucy. 

After Eve shut the door behind her, Kevin sighed. "I'm sorry. Are you sure you're okay?"

Nodding, Lucy held his hands. "I just need to sit down." 

Leading her to the sofa, Kevin sat beside her. After a few minutes, the color returned to her face and she seemed better. Reaching up, he touched her hair. "I'm sorry that happened the way it did." 

"Don't be. You know, she was right about one thing." 

"Which is?" 

"If I didn't want her showing up at the door, I shouldn't have jumped into bed with her husband." 

Wincing, Kevin stared at the floor for a moment. "I'm sorry." 

"Kevin, I knew what I was getting into. You didn't twist my arm. I loved you, I wanted you, and." Lucy shrugged. "We're all part of this. We didn't expect that to go well. It's just that I know this isn't how you wanted to do it." 

"Lucy.." She looked at him and he sighed. "You're right. That wasn't how I wanted it to go. But it did, and what happens where she's concerned now, happens. All I care about is you, and I'm sorry that she attacked you like that, and I'm sorry I hurt you." 

Tears came to her eyes again and she stared in his eyes. "You really mean that, don't you." 

"Of course, I do. I didn't mean to pull on you like that-" 

"No, I mean about not caring what Eve does now." 

He thought about it for a moment, then shook his head. "I don't. And I really don't think I have for a while now. I'm right where I want to be." Her eyes met his and he stared at her for a moment. "I guess I should have asked you before I invited myself to stay here." 

"That was kinda pushy." But she was smiling. "But I'm glad."

  
Victor saw the note in the dining room table and realized that Eve was out looking for Kevin. Eve was NOT a stupid woman, it wouldn't take her long to track Kevin down at Lucy's. Reaching for his cell, he dialed Lucy's number. 

When Kevin answered, Victor quickly began to speak, but Kevin interrupted him. 

"Victor! I know Eve's back in town. She's already been here." 

Victor instantly stopped. "I guess it didn't go well." 

"How many ways could this have gone?" Kevin's voice was bitter. "I do need you to get more than just a couple things for me. I guess I'm going to be staying with Lucy for a while."

"I understand. Don't worry, I'll take care of things at this end. How did Lucy take it?" 

"Pretty good, actually. I mean, she wasn't really up to a major confrontation. But as far as she's concerned, as long as I'm with her, it's okay. She doesn't pretend to care about Eve's feelings. Not that she should," Kevin quickly added. "but I think Eve asking what happened to her didn't start the conversation off on a good note." 

"Did Lucy tell her?" 

"No. I mean, Eve wasn't being nasty at that point, but Lucy wasn't ready for questions about it. It didn't take much, though." Kevin sighed. "But I guess I'll ask Scott to handle the divorce, and Eve agreed to look for a place to live." 

"I see." Victor was worried about how well Kevin was taking it. As sorry as he was that Lucy was hurt, it did give Kevin something to focus on besides what was happening in his life. "I'll pack a few bags for you, then, and I'll head to Lucy's as soon as I'm done." 

"Thanks, Victor. Can you stay here for a while? I need to run to the hospital, and Lucy wants me to believe she's okay by herself, but..." 

"Say no more. I would be happy to spend the afternoon with her." 

"Thanks." 

Hanging up the phone, Victor went upstairs to pack a few bags for Kevin. 

  
Sighing, Mac knocked on Lucy's door. He really didn't want to do this, but he had no choice. It had been hard enough convincing Dara to let him do it instead of sending a patrol car. 

Kevin opened the door and stood back for Mac to enter. "Any news?" 

"Yeah, and you're not going to like it." Walking in to the living room, Mac looked around for Lucy. 

"She's in the shower." 

"How is she?" 

"Up and down." Kevin shrugged. "If I could take a step back and be objective, I guess I'd say it's perfectly normal for the situation. What's the news?"

"Davis's lawyer, Schneider, filed formal charges against you this morning. Assault and Battery, and... attempted murder." 

Sighing, Kevin stared towards the bedroom door, hoping Lucy was still in the bathroom. "I pretty much expected that. Well, not attempted murder, but... Scott said he'd handle it." 

"Since when did you and Scott become so buddy-buddy?" Mac shook his head. "I mean, he's a good lawyer, but you two never seemed to be..." 

"We're not going to hang out together and do any male bonding, but we managed to reach an understanding. And he already told me he can handle this." 

"Handle what?" Lucy's voice startled both of them. 

Mac looked at Kevin and waited for him to make the first move. 

"Hi, Mac. I guess there's something neither of you want to tell me?"

"Mac's here to... to arrest me." Kevin decided to just spit it out. 

"WHAT?" Turning to Mac, Lucy stared at him. "Arrest Kevin? Why? How could you arrest your best friend?" 

"Lucy," Taking her arm gently, Kevin turned her to face him. "Mac's doing me a favor. I'm betting that if he wasn't here, it would be a squad car, right?" 

Mac nodded, but Lucy was more confused. "Why are you being arrested at all? This doesn't have anything to do with.. what... With me, does it? I mean, you-"

"Lucy," Staring in her eyes, Kevin touched her face. "This has nothing to do with you. But when I figured-" 

"Kevin, you can't." 

They both turned to face Mac. "What do you mean I can't? Mac, I'm tired of people telling me what I can and can't tell her! She deserves to know everything!" 

"She knows and they can make her testify. Same goes for me, Mate. The only person you can talk to is Scott." 

"Doc?" Lucy gripped his hands.

"I have to go, Lucy. Don't worry. Scott knows all about it, and he said he'll take care of it." Her face was white, and Kevin moved her to the sofa. Responding to Kevin's expression, Mac moved out of the way and watched him sit with her. 

"I want to know what happened." Her voice was quiet, and she was shaking. 

"You heard Mac. I can't tell you. They'll come after you, and I'll be damned if you're going to get hurt again by this." 

"It does have something to do with me, doesn't it." It wasn't a question. 

"I wish I could tell you, Lucy. I do. But I can't. Scott will take care of it, and I'll be home as soon as I can, okay?"

She nodded, but her grip on his hand got tighter. 

Sighing, Kevin turned to Mac. "Can you hang around for a few minutes? Victor's on his way here, and I don't want to leave her alone." 

The fact that she didn't argue with Kevin told Mac a lot. Nodding, Mac sat down in one of the chairs. "No problem." 

Lucy's eyes were glued to the floor, but Mac could see she didn't look good. 

Leaning back, Kevin pulled her into his arms and held her. His eyes met Mac's over her head and Mac had a moment where he was sorry he was a cop. Taking Kevin to jail for doing what any man would do in his position felt wrong all the way around. Not to mention what this was doing to Lucy. 

Kevin sighed again and kissed the top of her head. Suddenly she pulled away and looked at Mac. "You can tell me." 

"Tell you what?" Mac was confused. 

"You can tell me what the charges are, right? I mean, it's public record, right?" 

"Lucy," 

"Mac if you don't I'll just find out. It'll be on the TV tonight, the internet by morning, and the papers by the next day. So you may as well tell me." 

Mac looked at Kevin, who nodded. "The official charges are assault and battery, and.. Attempted murder." 

Lucy's head snapped towards Kevin and their eyes met. Lucy knew what he'd done. Because of her. "Doc.." 

Shaking his head, he pulled her back to him. "Don't. None of this is your fault, Lucy." Her arms wrapped around his waist and she leaned her forehead against his neck. The tears came and she started to shake. "Doc, why?"

Holding her as tightly as he dared, he kissed her head and whispered in her ear. "Because I love you." 

Mac felt uncomfortable, but he was still afraid Kevin would say something to Lucy that he shouldn't. Before he could voice his fears, the door opened and Victor came in carrying Kevin's suitcases. 

"Monk? What's going on?" From the way Kevin was holding Lucy, he knew it wasn't good. 

"They're arresting Kevin." Lucy looked at Victor. 

"Arresting... on what charges?" 

Mac stood. "It really doesn't matter, but we do have to go." 

Nodding, Kevin tried to pull away from Lucy, but she held him tighter. "Lucy," he pushed her back a little so he could look at her face. "it's going to be okay." 

"How?" 

"You know Scott. If he said he could take care of this, do you believe he can take care of this?"

She nodded. 

"Then let me go take care of this." He kissed her lips gently. "I love you. I'll be home as soon as I can." Taking the bag Victor brought him, he turned to Mac. "I'd like to change." 

"Go for it." Mac watched him walk into the bedroom, then turned to Lucy. "If there was any other way to do this, Lucy, I swear." 

"I know. Really, I do. I just.." 

Moving to sit beside her, Victor took her hands. 

Kevin reappeared, and Lucy stood to go to him. Taking her in his arms, he kissed the side of her head. "I'll be back as soon as I can. Promise. I love you." 

She didn't answer him, but when Victor took her shoulders, she stepped back and touched Kevin's face. "I love you." 

Letting go of her, he turned to Mac. "Let's get this over with." 

As they went out the door, Lucy turned to Victor. "This is because of me, Victor." 

"No, Lucy. Don't do that." Victor went to her and hugged her. "Let Scott do his job, okay? Kevin will be back as soon as he can." 

  
Scott was already at the station when Kevin and Mac got there. 

Nodding, Mac left them alone. 

"This isn't good, Kevin." 

"Just say it, Scott." 

"I can get the attempted murder kicked, but the assault is gonna stick." 

"I figured that." 

"So, I guess we need to decide what we're going to do. We go to trial, we might beat it, but we might not. You could end up doing some time." At Kevin's expression, Scott continued. "You've got a record, remember? You pled to lesser charges, but you have a history. It's gonna count. Or we can try to plead it out. But that could mean another suspension on your medical license." 

Taking a minute to think about it, Kevin finally shook his head. "I'll deal with whatever happens to stay out of jail. I mean, if I go to jail, I'll definitely lose my license. And I don't want Lucy to have to stand behind me again through another trial because I lost my temper." 

"Not to mention the fact that she'd be subpoenaed to testify." 

"I didn't tell her-" 

"She's the motive, Kevin. They'd put her on the stand." Scott held his hands out on either side. "She tells the truth, you go to jail. She lies, she goes to jail. Which do you think she'd do?" 

"Keep her out of it, Scott. It's bad enough that she's going to have to testify against him." 

Scott's eyes dropped and Kevin knew there was something going on. "What?" 

"I don't think it's going to get to trial." 

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, he'll probably cop a plea, and the DA will push Lucy to accept it." 

"What kind of plea?" 

"I don't know yet, but the defending attorney is digging up all the dirt on the two of you he can get his hands on. And we both know there's a lot of dirt." 

Kevin glared at Scott, but there was nothing he could say. 

"I've got people on it, and I'm trying to do damage control. But it's not gonna be easy." 

"I appreciate it Scott." 

Scott shrugged. "She loves you." Standing, Scott moved towards the door. "Let them book you so we can bail you out." 


	8. Surviving Loves Obstacles Chapter 8

Eve answered the door and was shocked to be facing a bunch of reporters taking her picture and firing questions at her. 

"Did he lose his mind again?" 

"What?" Eve stared at them in bewilderment. 

"Think he'll beat the system again?" 

"Who? What are you talking about?" 

One of them moved closer to her. "We're talking about your husband. Think he'll do any jail time?" 

"For what?" 

"You don't know what he was arrested for?" The other reporters quieted to hear her answer.

"Kevin was arrested?" Eve was shocked, and the cameras caught the moment. 

"He was arrested for assault and battery and attempted murder."

"Murder? Kevin?" 

"You don't know anything about it? Apparently he completely went nuts on one of his patients." 

Another reporter jumped in. "Did you know he's lost it before?" 

Eve stared at them, wanting to know what happened, but not wanting to discuss it. "When was he arrested?" 

"Just a few hours ago."

Stepping back, Eve shook her head. "No comment." Shutting the door behind her, she paced around in the lighthouse for a few minutes, trying to figure out what to do. Making a decision, she picked up the phone and dialed Lucy's. 

"Doc?" Lucy answered the phone. 

"No, it's Eve." 

"Oh." Lucy sighed. "What?" 

"I just heard about Kevin. I just wanted to know if there was anything I could do." 

"No. Scott's taking care of it. I was hoping that he was calling." 

"Lucy, what the hell happened?" 

Eve could hear Lucy hesitating on the other end of the phone. "I can't. There's a lot more to it, and I can't..." 

"Lucy, this is Kevin's life we're talking about." 

"I KNOW THAT!" Lucy almost shrieked the words at Eve, and then her voice lowered. "I..." Lucy's voice faltered, and Eve waited for a minute.

The phone got quiet, and the next voice Eve heard was Victor. "Eve?" 

"Victor, what's going on? I just had a couple dozen reporters show up at the lighthouse to tell me that Kevin was arrested for attempted murder!"

"I was afraid the press would get a hold of this." 

Lucy's voice in the background was shrill. "The press?!" 

"They're at the lighthouse." Victor spoke to Lucy before returning to Eve. "It's a long complicated story that you shouldn't get involved in, Eve." 

"Victor! He's still my husband, and I still care what happens to him!" 

"I understand that, Eve, but the more you know, the more you could get dragged into this. Right now you don't know anything, so the police and all the lawyers will probably leave you alone. I wish I could say the same about the press, but I can't." 

"Is there anything I can do?" 

"Right now the only thing you can do is.... I know it's a lot to ask, but..." 

"VICTOR!" Eve was exasperated. 

"Please don't mention Lucy to them. They'll find out about her soon enough." 

"Don't mention Lucy?" Eve didn't understand. "Why is everyone so hell bent on protecting HER when Kevin's the one in trouble?!"

"Eve, please. There is so much going on right now. I promise as soon as we can, we'll explain everything to you." 

"She has something to do with this, doesn't she. What did she do, Victor?" 

"Nothing! Eve, this entire situation is so horrible..." 

It clicked in Eve's mind. "I saw the bruises on her, Victor. That has something to do with it, right?"

Victor sighed. "Eve, for your own good, I can't tell you anymore. When we can, we'll tell you everything. I can promise you that." 

"Fine." Eve sighed. "If there's anything I can do let me know. And I won't mention Lucy to anybody." 

"Thank you, Eve." Hanging up the phone, Victor turned to Lucy. 

"Eve promised not to say anything." 

Lucy's eyes met his for a moment, hoping he could tell her she was wrong. "They're going to find out everything, aren't they." 

"I wish I could say they won't, Lucy. I really do. But I don't think there's any way we can stop it." He really didn't want to tell her that, but it was the truth. 

Picking up the phone, Lucy was almost shaking by the time she finished dialing Scott's cell phone. 

  
Scott stared at Kevin and Mac as he reached for his phone. "Who wants to bet that's Lucy?" He glanced at it. "Win my bet." He pushed the button. "Hello, Lucy, I'm fine, but since you didn't call MY cell phone to actually talk to ME, I guess-" 

"SCOTT!" 

Lucy sounded so panicky, Scott stopped. "Lucy, come on, calm down. I said I'd take care of this, didn't I?" 

"Where is he, Scott? What's going on?"

As Lucy continued to fire questions at him, Scott handed Kevin his phone. "She doesn't sound good." 

Kevin had to say her name twice before she realized she was talking to him. "I'm fine, I'll be out of here in about a half hour." 

"You're sure?" 

"Yes, I'm sure. I'll be home as soon as I can get out of here. I promise." 

"Hang on." The phone was silent in Kevin's hand for a moment. 

"Monk?" 

"Yeah. I take it she's not okay." 

"No, not really. She got hysterical when Eve called." 

"Eve? What did she say?"

"She called to say that a hoard of reporters are camped out at the lighthouse wanting a statement concerning your arrest." 

Closing his eyes, Kevin sighed. When he opened his eyes again, Mac and Scott were staring at him. "The press is already at the lighthouse." 

"Oh, great!" Scott shook his head. "It's not gonna take them long to follow the trail right to her." 

"Thanks, Victor. I'll be there as soon as I can. I just have some more paperwork to muddle through, and I'll be out of here." 

Before Kevin could even ask, Mac nodded. "We'll get you out of here and back to Lucy's before the press finds out you've left the building." 

"Thanks, Mac." 

"I can't stop them forever." Mac sighed. "Scott, will they find out.... Can the press get..... Will what happened to Lucy hit the papers?" 

"I don't know." Scott ran his hand through his hair. "Once the D.A. presses charges, they become public. The victim is supposed to be anonymous. But I wouldn't count on it."

Kevin was so angry he was shaking. "We need to count on it, Scott. She needs us to protect her. And neither one of us has done a damn thing for her so far!" 

"You don't think I'd do something if I could? You really think I want everybody to read all about what happened to her over their morning coffee?"

"Scott, I-" Kevin hadn't meant it as a personal attack, but it sounded like Scott was taking it that way.

"You don't think I want to protect her from all of this? What, Kevin, you think that just because I let her go I don't love her?!" The last sentence slipped out, and Scott stared at Kevin. All three men were silent for a moment, and then Scott shrugged. "Don't get me wrong, here. I'm not IN love with her the way I hope you are. The way she loves you." Scott turned. "Let's get the hell out of here." 

  
Opening the door, Kevin entered Lucy's and looked around. Before he could say anything, Lucy was in his arms with her arms around his waist. Holding her, he stroked her hair and tried to talk to her. "Lucy, I'm fine." 

"You're NOT fine! You did this because of me!" 

"It will work out." 

"How?!" Stepping back, she stared at him. 

"Scott's going to handle it." 

"Stop saying that! I know Scott. He has a plan, and you know what it is. What is it?!" 

Stopping, Kevin looked at her and Victor for a moment before speaking. "He's going to work out a plea."

"A plea." Lucy thought about it for a moment. "How much trouble are you in?" 

"I don't know." At her glare, he took her hands. "I really don't know. Scott's not sure how far they're going to insist on going." 

"Could you... you're not... you're not going to have to go to....jail, are you?" 

"No. Scott doesn't think I'll have to." 

"But what about your license?" 

"That I don't know." He sighed. "Lucy, whatever happens, I'll deal with it." 

"WE'LL deal with it." Letting go of his hands, Lucy reached for his shirt. "I know you're trying to protect me, but I'm already involved." 

"Lucy," 

"Don't argue with me!" She jerked on his shirt so hard he stumbled towards her.

"Okay!" In spite of the situation, he smiled. "I won't argue with you." Extricating her hands from his shirt, he pulled her to him. "At least until I have more than two shirts here." 

His eyes met Victor's, and both men shook their heads. Victor watched 

Kevin hold Lucy for a few minutes, and finally moved towards them. "I need to get going. Call me if either of you need anything." 

"Thanks, Victor." Kevin released Lucy and she hugged Victor. 

Returning her embrace, Victor looked at Kevin. "Make her eat. She hasn't." 

"I'm hungry, myself." Kevin reached for her shoulders when she let go of Victor. "We'll both eat." 

"Good." Victor smiled as he headed for the door. 

  
Scott viewed the files that Victor's men had accumulated on what Schneider's investigators had found. There wasn't much they hadn't found. Pacing around the firehouse, Scott knew he was missing something, but he couldn't figure out what. 

A knock at the door brought him running. 

Alexis stepped inside and he pulled her to the sofa. 

"Nice to see you, too, Scott." 

"Sorry. Hi, how are you? I wanted you to take a look at this. I get the feeling I'm missing something big." 

"Is Kevin out on bail?"

"Yeah. Thank God. Lucy must have called my cell every half hour until he was out." 

"What kind of plea are you going to go for?" 

"I gotta feel it out first. The attorney that's calling the shots is famous for playing hardball." 

"I've heard of him." Alexis glanced through the file while Scott watched her carefully. "You're making me nervous, Baldwin. Why don't you find something to do while I go over this."

"You want some fish sticks?"

"Fish sticks?!" Alexis actually crinkled her nose at the thought. 

At first, Scott laughed at her expression. Then his second thought was how cute she was. "Yeah, fish sticks. Don't knock what you haven't tried." 

"I won't knock them, but that doesn't mean I want to try them." 

"No sense of adventure?" 

Sighing, Alexis looked up at him. "Okay! Fine! I'll try them! Just get out of here and let me read!" 

"You won't be sorry." Smiling, Scott went to the kitchen. 

Taking a legal pad, Alexis jotted notes and questions as she read. 

Scott hadn't told her anything other then he was involved, and he thought he was missing something. She hadn't wanted him to tell her any more than that, so she wouldn't be looking for what he said, and also missing what he was. She had a feeling Kevin being arrested was related, but had told Scott not to tell her anything until she'd reviewed the file. 

Scott was talking to himself as he moved about in the kitchen, and Alexis laughed softly before she forced herself to concentrate. 

  
As Kevin moved around the kitchen, he was surprised to see Lucy at the door. "You need something?" 

She shrugged. "Just you." 

He watched the way she stood there, trying to look at him and not the rest of the room. "I'll be out in a minute." 

Nodding, she took a deep breath, but didn't move. The look on her face worried Kevin, and he went to her. "Come on." He started to pull her towards the living room, but she shook her head. 

"This is my kitchen, Doc. I can't be afraid to be in MY kitchen in my own home." She started to shake, and Kevin wasn't sure if it was anger or fear. 

"You also don't have to push yourself harder than you're ready for, Lucy." As she glared at him, he took her shoulders. "I'm not shrinking you. I'm looking at you. You're forcing yourself, and you don't have to." 

"I hate this! You don't understand." 

"Then explain it to me." 

"I can't! I can't explain it to you because I can't explain it to myself!" Furious, Lucy left the kitchen and paced around the living room. 

The way she moved around the room reminded Kevin of a tiger, looking for a way out of a cage. 

"This is ridiculous! It's over, and I'm tired of thinking about it! I don't get it! I never used to dwell on things that happened, you know? I just put them out of my mind, and it was gone!" 

"Lucy, this is an entirely different situation. You-" 

"Why? I mean, it happened, it's over! You don't get it, do you, Doc? I've always been the type to just move on, get on with my life!" 

Standing, Kevin waited until Lucy passed him on the next round. When she did, he reached out and took her arm. "Will you stop being so hard on yourself? You're human, Lucy. It hurts, and it's not going to just go away because you snap your fingers! I wish it would, I swear I do. And I'd do anything to make it go away. But I can't, and you can't just stop feeling it no matter how badly you want to." 

"You didn't know me, Kevin. There was a time in my life it really didn't matter. I didn't care." Pulling away from him, she began to pace around the room again. "When something bad happened, I just got over it! You think this was the first time I ever got my ass kicked? When you're the poorest kid in your town, not to mention the only one with no parents, the other kids have nothing better to do! I lived with Colton for 18 years! How do you think I LEARNED to fight?"

Kevin watched her, listening to her rant. She'd mentioned the other kids teasing her before, but she'd never told him that they'd beaten her up over not having parents. He started to contemplate what she was saying about Colton, but she was still going, and he didn't want to miss what she was saying. 

"I never let things get to me, you know? I couldn't. It just gave them more power over me. And I'll be DAMNED if I'm going to give that son of a bitch ANY more power over me!" 

He was getting dizzy watching her circle the room, but he realized that trying to stop her now was futile.

"I have ALWAYS fought back! And I'm sure as hell NOT going to stop now! This is MY house, and I'm not going to be afraid to go into my own damn kitchen! I swore this would never happen again! It's MY body, and I say who and I say when! There may have been a lot of them, but it was MY decision!" 

Kevin stared at her in shock, but she turned and ran into the kitchen.

  
Alexis turned the page and sighed. Her first thought was of Lucy, and what she'd been through. They'd never really been friends, but Alexis liked her. After watching how close Lucy and Kevin were after he'd been arrested for stalking Felicia, she'd been shocked to hear they'd split. 

Scott interrupted her thoughts by approaching her. "Well?"

"I'm not finished yet, but the evidence is there. She's hurt, and somebody did it." 

"And?"

"And, the only problem I see is the unknown." 

"Unknown?"

"Yeah. The unknown DNA. There's another man involved. One of them could have been consensual, but from the physical evidence, either one of them could have hurt her." 

"The other man is Kevin! He'd never hurt Lucy!" 

Alexis stared at Scott. "Part of me isn't surprised, but part of me is shocked. Isn't Kevin married?"

"I doubt he will be for much longer."

"Then I guess-" 

"THAT'S IT!" Scott jumped to his feet and began to pace. "That's what they're after!"

"What is?" Alexis was lost. 

"I thought.... This could end up being bad. Schneider's investigators pulled up everything about Kevin. You know, his breakdown? Lucy told me you helped them." 

"How do you know what the investigators-" 

"Never mind how I know! The point is, I thought it was the assault case, but now I'm not so sure." 

"You're going right past me, Scott. Slow down." 

"Kevin- the assault case-" 

"Is HIM?" Alexis gestured to the file in her hand.

"Yes. Plus he's a patient of Kevin's. That's how he found Lucy to begin with."

"This is getting complicated." 

"It's about to get ten times more complicated. I need to know what happened with Kevin before." 

"What do you mean?" 

"I mean Kevin has a history of violence with women! What happened between him and Lucy that night?!" 

Alexis stared at Scott. "I don't know what happened. I mean where Lucy was concerned. Lucy would never tell anyone. I was his lawyer and Lucy wouldn't tell me everything that happened after Felicia got out. She even...." Stopping, Alexis sighed. "She wanted to marry Kevin before it could go to trial so she wouldn't have to tell anyone what he did to her." 

"What did he do?" 

"Nothing that I could see, but she wouldn't tell anyone." Now shock crossed Alexis's face. "You're talking like Kevin did that to her." 

"NO! I know he didn't. He loves her. But I think it's gonna get worse." 

"What do you mean?"

"I mean the defense can prove Kevin had sex with her. They can prove that Kevin has a history of violence, with women and what he did to Davis. And they can prove that Lucy will commit perjury to protect a man she loves." 

"Perjury?"

"A long time ago." Scott shrugged. "But it was over a man." 

"And if the defense thinks they can get one juror to believe Lucy's lying about which one of them hurt her." Alexis realized where Scott was going and sighed.

"That bastard will walk away free." Scott slammed his fist on the table. "Dammit! This is NOT going to happen!" 

"How can we stop it? I mean, I'm betting that you're right. The best way to defend a client is to give the jury another suspect. So even though we probably know what the defense is going to do, how do we counter it? Everything you're saying is true. Kevin has been violent towards women before. Possibly including Lucy. Lucy has hidden the truth, in the past even lied to protect the men in her life. We aren't reaching here to think that the defense is going to use this to their advantage." Alexis shrugged again. "Let's face it, Scott. If he was our client, either of us would use it." 

"I can't believe I missed this!" 

"I can. I didn't know who the other man was. You knew it was Kevin, and you wouldn't consider Kevin being the one that hurt her. That's why I didn't want you to tell me anything. I would have missed it, too if I'd known." 

"We gotta go talk to Dara. She's prosecuting this." 

Nodding, Alexis stood. "You'll probably do better with her alone. I'm not her favorite person- I'm not even sure I'm her favorite Cassadine." 

"Well, you're my favorite Cassadine." 

"Gee, thanks. My life is now complete." Smiling, Alexis moved towards the door. "Keep me informed, and if there's anything else I can do, let me know." 

"You got it. I'm gonna call Mac and set up a meeting with Dara." 

"You better be able to explain how you found all this out about Schneider's investigators." 

"I'll figure something out." Shrugging, Scott closed the door behind her as she left. 

  
Following Lucy into the kitchen, Kevin continued to watch her. She forced herself to cross the kitchen for the first time since Trent had dragged her across the floor. Stopping at the door, she grabbed the doorjamb and fought to breathe. 

Not knowing what he should do, he simply stood still beside her. 

"Right here. Two more steps and it wouldn't have happened at all. If I'd been a little faster." 

He had no idea what she was talking about, so he said nothing. 

"He caught me right outside this door. When he shoved me, I hit my ribs. I think it knocked the wind out of me, because I fell and couldn't breathe." She grabbed her ribs as she said it. "It hurt. Still does." 

Now Kevin's mind wandered. His eyes drifted to the floor, and he couldn't stop the thoughts that he'd been fighting since he'd found out. The image in his mind of Trent throwing her down and being on top of her only about eight feet from where he was standing turned his stomach. But her voice caught his attention. 

"I'm NOT going to think about it anymore!" She was angry again, and Kevin didn't know if that was good or bad. "I can get over this. I just have to do it!" Taking as deep a breath as she could, she started to step across the floor, forcing herself to stare at it. After a few steps, she turned and almost ran back to the door. "Why can't I do this! He's NOT going to control me like this. I'm NOT going to let him! I HATE THIS!" As she screamed, she punched the door. The sound of shattering glass brought Kevin almost running to her. 

Keeping her back to him, Lucy's voice dropped to a whisper. "When you punch things because your angry, does it make you feel better?"

"Sometimes. Why? Did it help?" 

"Yeah, a little, but no, actually. Because it hurt." Almost whining, she turned to him and showed him her hand, which had blood running from it. 

Pulling her to the sink, Kevin shoved her hand under running water. 

After a cursory examination, he couldn't help smiling. "The door never stood a chance." 

"Not the smartest thing I've done, huh." They both laughed. 

Wrapping a towel around her hand, Kevin pulled her to him and hugged her. "Why are you doing this to yourself?"

His voice was soft in her ear, and she responded just as softly. "Because I feel like I have to. I don't know how else to get over this." 

"How about maybe giving yourself a little time?"

"No. The more time I give myself, the more power I give him over me and my life. It has to stop." 

"I don't understand. Power?" 

"It was ten minutes out of my life, Doc. MY life. And the more time I spend getting over it, the more time of MY life he takes away from me." 

"Lucy," He sighed. "It's not just ten minutes we're talking about, and you know it. It's a lot more, and taking time to let yourself heal isn't giving him anything." 

"I feel like it is. I've had enough of it." Sighing, Lucy let him lead her to the living room. Checking her hand again, he shook his head. "I don't think you're going to need stitches." 

"It's not that bad. Just stupid." Her eyes dropped to the floor. 

"Not stupid." Her eyes met his, and he finally shrugged and smiled at her. "Okay, that" He raised her hand a bit. "was stupid." 

They both laughed for a moment. 

Sighing, Lucy closed her eyes and forced herself to calm down. "Can we just forget about it for tonight? Think we can?" 

"I'd like to." Pulling her closer to him gently, Kevin held her. 

"Think we can?"

"Well," he knew what she was thinking, and he smiled at her. "if we just sit here and hold each other, don't answer the phone, light some candles, I think we can manage it for a night, at least." 

"Are you agreeing with denial, Doctor?"

"You told me you didn't want me to shrink you, so I guess that leaves indulging you." 

"That sounds so good to me." Smiling, she snuggled closer. 

"If you'll sit here for a few minutes, I'm sure I can find some chocolate? And something that's actually good for both of us in the kitchen I can fix fast." 

"I'll sit right here. Promise." 

Kissing her lips gently, he stood and went to the kitchen.


	9. Surviving Loves Obstacles Chapter 9

Kevin woke to the sound of the shower. Getting dressed, he waited to see if she was going to come out on her own. He thought about last night and smiled. An evening of complete denial had seemed to do wonders for her. She'd actually looked relaxed for the first time since it had happened. They'd snuggled on the sofa until she'd fallen asleep in his arms, and she'd almost slept through the night. 

As he crossed the room to the bathroom door, it opened and she appeared. At his expression, she stared at him. 

"I'm busted. I was beginning to worry." Kevin shrugged. 

Moving to him, Lucy wrapped her arms around his waist. "I'm okay. For the moment." The satin robe she was wearing slid across his chest as he held her, and he leaned closer to her. "I love the way you smell." He did. The fresh, slightly floral smell of her shampoo perfectly complimented the soap she used and it drove him crazy. 

Smiling, she tilted her head up to his and kissed him. At first, her lips touched his gently, but she closed her eyes and pressed against him. Hesitating slightly, Lucy opened her mouth and slowly deepened their kiss. Allowing her to lead, Kevin opened his mouth to her and tightened his grip on her, but only slightly. He wanted her, but he didn't want to scare her. And he really didn't think she was ready for what she was doing. Holding him tighter, Lucy relaxed in the warmth and the safety of his arms. She slid her hands up his bare chest and wrapped them around his neck as she continued to kiss him. His hands slid gently up her back, and she moved closer to him. As she pressed closer to his body, she felt him grow harder against her through the silky material of his pajama bottoms, and she pulled away quickly. 

A thousand things were running through her mind, and she turned away from him. "I'm sorry." 

He wasn't sure it was right, but he moved closer to her and reached gently for her shoulders. When she tensed, but didn't pull away, he stepped closer to her. "Don't. You have nothing to apologize for." 

"It's not you, you know that, right?"

"Yes." Keeping a small distance between them, he leaned down to whisper in her ear. "I wish you'd stop putting so much pressure on yourself." 

Shaking her head, she finally turned to him, and he wasn't surprised to see she was crying. "I wasn't. I mean, I kissed you because I wanted to." Touching his face, she smiled through her tears. "In case you haven't figure it out yet, I do like to kiss you." 

"I'm glad for that." He returned her smile and she laughed slightly. 

"I just.... I.... " She couldn't find the words and it frustrated her. 

Moving to the bed, he sat down and pulled her gently to stand in front of him. "Okay, you weren't pressuring yourself. I'm not pressuring you, either. I love you. I don't want you to feel like I want more from you than you're ready for." 

"I know. I just.. I freaked out on you, and I'm sorry." 

"Don't apologize, Lucy. Please?" His eyes met hers and she touched his face again. 

"I'll try." Moving to him, she wrapped her arms around his neck. "I don't know what I'm ready for. I mean, I thought I was ready for that. But..then. you.."

"I reacted to you. I can't help that." She looked away from him and he reached for her face. "You know the effect you have on me, but it's not because I want to push you." 

"I know that. I do. Really. I just freaked out, okay? It's not you, it's me. I'm sorry."

"Lucy," Kevin sighed and took her hands. "Don't apologize, please?" 

"I feel like I'm.."

"You're fighting what you feel. I've never seen you do that before. Why start now?" 

"Because what I'm feeling doesn't make sense to me!" 

"Give it time, Lucy. It will." Gently, he put his hands on her waist and held her close to him. "You're going to figure it out. Promise." 

Her eyes met his and she smiled. "Okay. Maybe you're right."

"Maybe?" He smiled at her. 

"Okay, you're probably right." They smiled at each other. Taking her hands, Kevin stood. "Why don't you get dressed, and I'm going to jump in the shower." 

"A cold one thanks to me, right?"

He realized she was smiling, and he shrugged. "I can take it." 

Hugging her one more time, he went into the bathroom. 

  
Scott left the firehouse, angrily shouting "No Comment!" at the hoards of reporters that followed him to his car. The only thing he could think about was how to get to Lucy's without being followed. Those vultures were the last things she needed right now, and Scott knew that. In the privacy of his car, Scott picked up the phone and dialed Victor's number.

"Victor! It's me. Look, I figured out what's going on, at least, I think I have. We need to talk, and I think I need to talk to Kevin and Lucy as well. This isn't going to be good, and I think they need to prepare for it." 

"Don't upset them until you're sure, Scott." 

"I'm pretty sure, Victor. I mean, we've gone over and over what the defense is digging into, and it only points to one thing." His phone beeped, and he sighed. "Hang on." He clicked over. "Scott."

"Scott? It's Lee. You need to get over here to GH. There's been a development you need to be aware of. Meet me in Alan's office." 

"I'm on my way." Going back to Victor, Scott sighed. "I gotta go to GH first, but then I'm headed for Lucy's. I'll call you when I find out what's going on over there."

"Okay." 

Once Scott reached GH, he went straight to Alan's office. Gail, Lee, and Alan were already there, looking very grim. "What now?" 

"We received a request for records. Pre lawsuit." 

"Great." Scott thought about it for a moment. "They asked for Kevin's records of Trent's treatment, but did they mention Gail's records of treating Kevin?" 

All three of them stopped and stared at Scott. "How did you know?" 

Lee asked Scott with a shocked look on his face. "We received a subpoena for them an hour later."

"DAMMIT!" Scott slammed his briefcase on the desk and began to pace around the office.

"Scott, what do you know that we don't?"

"I know that Schneider is gonna drag Kevin and Lucy through the mud to save that son of a bitch, and I don't know if I can stop it!"

"What do you mean?" 

"I can't get into it. But I have to go talk to Dara and Mac." 

"This is a medical malpractice lawsuit, Scott, we-" 

"Alan! The med mal suit is only the way Schneider's going to get paid. This is about defending Trent." Grabbing his briefcase, Scott headed for the door. "Keep me posted." 

With that, he left the room.

  
A knock on the door brought Lucy to answer it. When she did, the flash from the cameras temporarily blinded her. 

"Ms. Coe, can we get a quote? What do you think of what Kevin Collins did?" 

Another reporter stepped closer to her and stared at her face. "That was a pretty nasty bruise, he didn't do that to you, did he?"

Putting her hand to her face, Lucy backed up shaking her head. "NO!" 

"Then why don't you get him out here and let him give us his side!" 

The reporter pointed to Kevin's car, and Lucy realized she couldn't deny he was there. "What happened to your hand? You fight with him?"

"Where'd you get the bruise?" Another reporter moved closer to her, and she backed up inside the door. Before she could close it, Kevin appeared and took her arm. 

"NO COMMENT!" Pulling her with him, he shut the door and turned to her. "Are you okay?" 

"They..they asked me if you did this to me! Doc how could they." 

"Ssshh. Come here." He wrapped his arms around her and held her against him. "I don't care what they asked you. Except that it proves that they don't know what really happened to you, and that's good." 

"For who? Not for you!" 

"Better for you, Lucy." Trying to calm her, Kevin knew telling her that they could probably find out what happened to her was the wrong thing to say to her. So he just held her and watched her try to get herself together. 

"Doc, they really think you hit me. What do we do now?"

"Nothing. We let them wonder, and hope they don't dig up the truth." 

As soon as he said it, he was sorry. 

Her eyes met his, and she was afraid. "They will, won't they."

Kevin was spared answering her by the reporters shouting outside. They stared at the door until they heard Scott's voice shouting back at them. Going to the door, Kevin looked out until he saw Scott get close before he opened it and let him inside. 

"I guess feeding time is over, right?" Scott was sarcastic, but then he saw Lucy. Her eyes told him everything and he went to her. "I'm sorry. I tried to keep you out of this." 

Hugging him, Lucy nodded. "I know." 

Scott held her and his eyes met Kevin's. 

Before Scott could say anything, Lucy backed away from him a little and looked at him. "Scott, they asked me if Kevin hit me. What do we do now?"

Sighing, Scott pulled her to him and hugged her again. "I wish I could tell you we could do something. I really do." 

"But..." Lucy knew him well enough to know there was something he wasn't saying. 

Taking a deep breath, he pulled away from her and led her to the sofa. "I think it's going to get worse." 

"Worse? How can things get worse? I mean, Kevin's been arrested, that... HE is still in a hospital room instead of a jail cell, how can things get worse." 

Sitting on the other side of her, Kevin took her hand. "Judging from Scott's face, I think you're going to regret asking that." 

"Yep." Scott stared at them for a moment. "First, I met with Alan, Lee, and Gail today. Schneider began proceedings for the medical malpractice suit." 

Kevin sighed. "I knew that was coming." 

"I know. But I just wanted to tell you it's happening." 

"Bad?" 

"Don't know yet. Company will probably just want to settle. I'm not an insurance lawyer, but that's my guess." 

Closing her eyes, Lucy sighed. "You can't take another hit on your insurance, Doc. I know that." 

Scott looked at her for a moment. "Lucy, you're not a lawyer. That's what insurance is for." 

"I got a crash course when..." Lucy looked at Kevin for a moment, letting her sentence trail off. "I do know that a carrier won't touch him if he takes another hit. Without malpractice insurance, he can't practice." 

"If I lose my license, it will be a mute point." Kevin was instantly sorry they said that when he saw Lucy's eyes fill with tears. "Come here." Reaching for her, he held her against him. 

"This is all because of me." 

"NO!" She jumped, and he lowered his voice. "You had nothing to do with this. HE did this to you." He touched her face and held her so she had to stare into his eyes. "None of this is your fault, and it's NOT because of you. Do you hear me?"

"Yes." But her eyes told him that she didn't believe him. 

"Look, maybe this isn't the best time to get into this." Scott watched her carefully. 

"No." She pulled away from Kevin, but held onto his hand. "Now. You came over here to tell us something, and we need to hear it. So go ahead." 

"I have been keeping tabs on Schneider. What his investigators are digging into, what they're coming up with." 

"We don't want to know how, right?" Kevin stared at Scott, knowing what the answer was going to be. 

"Nope. Enough said there?" 

"Yes! Go on!" Lucy was getting impatient. 

"Okay! They've been digging into your pasts. Both of you." 

"Our pasts?" Kevin was confused. "How can they use Lucy's past?"

"Well, not her sexual past." 

"Thank God." Lucy mumbled and both men stared at her. Realizing she'd said it out loud, she tried to backpedal. "I mean. I ..It's just that... I didn't mean...." In spite of the situation, both men were almost smiling at her and she slapped them both on the arms. "I never pretended to be an angel to either one of you." 

"That's for sure." Scott smiled at her, and then tried to move before she could smack him again. 

"Will you just tell us what you came over here to tell us!" Smacking him again, she glared at him. 

He sighed, dreading what he had to tell them. "I've been wracking my brain trying to figure out what they were going to do. I suspected a plea bargain, and that may still be an option. He's nuts, and they've got Kevin to verify that." 

Kevin looked away, but Lucy squeezed his hand. 

Scott continued. "GH got a subpoena today for Gail's records." 

"Gail's?" Lucy was confused. "Why Gail's?"

"Because Gail treated me, right?" Kevin looked at Scott, who nodded. "They're going to prove I have a history of violence for the assault charges, right?" 

"Partly." Scott stared at Lucy, and took a deep breath. "But they've also been digging into Lucy's past."

"You just said that they can't use it against me." 

"Not that. They pulled the Kevin O'Connor murder trial transcripts." 

More confused, Lucy shook her head. "What does that have to do with anything?"

Kevin had no idea what either of them were talking about, and he watched them stare at each other. 

Scott glanced at Kevin for a moment, not sure if Lucy wanted him to hear this. 

"Just say it, Scott. I've never hid anything from Kevin. We've just never talked about it." 

"You committed perjury to protect him because you loved him." 

"I still don't get the connection. I mean, there's no way they can say I'm lying about this. Scott, he beat the hell out of me. You know that!" 

"I know that. You got hurt. They can't deny that. They're not trying   
to deny someone hurt you." 

"Then what are they after?" Her patience was wearing thin, and her voice rose as she leaned closer to him. 

"They're after.... They're after the other guy, Lucy." He sighed. "Two men. Two DNA's in the report." 

"The other.." Scott literally watched Lucy put it together. It was all over her face. "That's ridiculous! I mean who'd believe that Kevin would EVER-" 

"A jury might, Lucy." Kevin put his hands over his face for a second before standing and pacing around the room. "People that don't know me, that hear all about what I did to Felicia and you-" 

"You didn't do anything to me!" Lucy stared at Kevin, and Scott decided to step in. 

"That's going to hurt, too, Lucy." 

"What?" Lucy gave Scott that blank look that told Scott she wasn't about to admit to anything. 

"That. Right there. You would do anything to protect him, and that's what they're going to use against both of you." Scott tried to be gentle, but there was really no way to be. "You committed perjury to protect a man before. You committed perjury to help me before." 

"Nobody knew about that!" Lucy continued, but Kevin interrupted her. 

"Lucy, stop." 

She looked at him. 

"Listen to yourself. Scott's right. You would do anything to protect someone you love. Scott and I both love you for what you've done for both of us, but the defense lawyer is going to have a field day with it." 

Lucy began to cry again. "Scott, you really believe that they're going to try to convince a jury that Kevin did this to me?"

Scott wanted to say no, but he couldn't. Kevin sat next to her and took her hands. "I'm sorry." 

"No, Doc. Don't say that. I know you went after him because of what he did to me." Touching his face, she leaned closer to him. "You've almost always defended me. And I love you for it. I can't let them do this to you because of me." 

"Lucy," Taking her hand, he stared at her. "This is NOT your fault. You don't have to stop this. So don't even try, okay? Please?" 

"Stay out of it, Lucy." Scott agreed with Kevin. "You're going to get some hair brained scheme going in your head and you'll end up getting into trouble and making the situation worse." 

Glaring at him, Lucy started to say something, but Kevin squeezed her hands tighter. "I wouldn't put it that way, but I don't want to see you get hurt anymore then you already are. Let Scott, Mac, and Dara handle it." 

She nodded and sighed. "Okay." But both men had a feeling the reprieve was short lived. 

  
"I don't care what the judge says, I want to nail this guy!" Mac slammed the phone down and turned to Richards. "He won't let us touch Davis until he's released from Mercy." 

"We knew that, Mac. But we've got the paperwork filed. As soon as he gets out, he's ours. Charges are already in the making." 

"So is the lawsuit against Kevin and the hospital." 

"We can't do anything about that." Richards sighed. "I don't see how they can make anything stick there if he doesn't admit he went after Lucy." 

"Scott's pretty sure they'll settle to avoid the publicity. Won't be good for Kevin." 

"He's a good friend of yours, right?" 

"The best." 

"Then I'm wondering if you shouldn't bow out of this." 

"I can't." 

"Mac," Richards looked at him. "We don't want to give the defense anything to use against the case. You protected him before. We don't want even a hint of you trying to push the rape case to use it to defend him on the assault charges." Mac started to speak, but she shook her head. "PLUS, you're friends with Lucy, too. This could scream of police prejudice. We don't want that." 

"What I don't want is for my friends to be hurt anymore than they already are!" 

"I know that. But we have to make sure this gets done right. I think Scott is on to something with the defense. Have you heard from him?" 

"No, not yet. He wants to meet with us today." 

"Okay, so we meet with him, find out what he's thinking, and go from there." 

"Then you need to think about how much it could hurt this case if you continue on it, Mac. I'm serious. You want to help them, and the defense could use that. How the case is handled and all that. You know that." 

"I know, I heard that before. I guess I'm doing both of them more harm than good now, huh." 

"To be honest, yeah." Richards sighed. "I just wish Mercy would release him. Working a case where you can't even interview the prime suspect sucks." 

A knock on the door startled both of them. The door opened, and Dara entered. "We've got problems with the Davis case." 

"More problems?" Mac sighed. 

"The defense has put a plea on the table. The attorney seems confident that his client can beat the charges, but he's offering to allow his client to plea to a simple assault in order to save the department any embarrassment."

"To save the department!" Mac stood and glared at Dara. 

"We have a convicted stalker on our payroll, Mac. A convicted stalker who has just been arrested for assault and battery, with attempted murder thrown in." 

"Dara, you know Kevin!" 

"This isn't about Kevin. This is about the department and how the mayor is going to react. The defense is threatening to bring it all out to the press and the mayor won't like that kind of publicity." 

"I don't care what the mayor wants, Dara. This isn't about publicity! This isn't even about Kevin! To the defense, it's about getting their client off. To me, it's about the fact that a good friend of mine was beaten and raped! She deserves more from us than 'sorry, we can't be embarrassed!'"

"I know that, Mac!" Dara's voice matched Mac's. "You think I'm happy about this? If Kevin had just kept his temper-" 

"He loves her, Dara! You tell me one man who wouldn't have done the exact same thing if they were in his place!" 

"Okay! Both of you!" Richards stared at both of them. "We're on the same side, here. We all want him to pay. I do have to tell you, Dara, I don't think the plea's going to work, more because the victim has a say. I don't think for one minute Lucy's going to agree to a simple misdemeanor." 

"That's what I needed Mac for." 

"NO!" Mac shook his head. "I am NOT going to pressure her to accept this!" 

"I didn't say I was going to accept the first deal they offered, Mac. I need to get a feel for what Lucy wants. You're right in the fact that this is about her. I need to know how far is she going to want to take this?"

A knock on the door made them all turn. At Mac's invitation, Scott entered. "We need to talk." 

"I'm glad you're here." Mac gestured towards a chair. "The defense has made another move." 

"I have a feeling I know where they're going." Scott sat down, nodding to Dara and Richards. "That's why I'm here." 

"The gave Dara the song and dance about their client beating the charges, and they offered to cop to simple assault." Mac shrugged. 

Shaking his head, Scott looked at Dara. "You can do better then that." 

"I know that. I need to know how much better. You said you know where they're going. Let's hear it." Dara sat down and they listened as Scott began to tell them what he knew, and what he suspected. 

  
Mandy opened the door to the house and looked around. Maria's message on her cell had simply said that Trent had been put away again, and she wanted to meet with Mandy. After a few quick calls, Mandy knew that Trent was in Mercy, and she'd be safe to return home for a while. 

"Glad you're here." Maria's voice was cold and extremely uninviting. 

"I got your message. What did he do now?"

"That's a big part of his problem, you know. The fact that you're SO ready to ALWAYS place the blame on him." 

"Maria, he's-" Mandy shook her head. Trying to explain to Maria that Trent wasn't the perfect angel was a waste of her time. "Nevermind. What happened?" 

"His doctor tried to strangle him." 

"Kevin Collins tried to strangle him?" Mandy was shocked. "Why?" 

"See? There you go again. Trent had to have done something, right? Well, if Kevin Collins was as great a doctor as you seemed to believe he was, none of this would have ever happened." 

"Maria, just tell me what Trent did." 

"Well, you'd know if you hadn't run out on him! But you took off, and left him to deal with it. You left him feeling like he wasn't good enough for you, and you didn't care how much you hurt him." 

"I did what.. I think coming back was a mistake." 

"NO! You're part of this, too, and he needs you right now." Maria glared at Mandy and crossed her arms. "His attorney wants to talk to you." 

"I'm not doing anything until you tell me what he's done." 

"He was looking for you. He needed you and you left him! And he knew that his doctor had helped you get away." 

Mandy stared at Maria for a moment. "I need to think about this. I have a room at a hotel, and I'll call you as soon as I decide what I'm going to do." 

Knowing she wasn't going to get an answer out of Maria, Mandy decided to go to GH and ask Kevin what had happened. She knew there was a big piece of the story that Maria would never admit to, much less tell her about. 

  
Mac sighed. "It makes sense, from a legal standpoint." 

"How believable is it going to be for the jury to point fingers at Kevin?" Richards looked at all of them. 

Pointing to Dara, Mac shrugged. "Why don't you take that question?"

At Scott's and Richards's questioning glances, Dara shrugged. "I headed up the prosecution for Kevin's stalking case. I was convinced that I was protecting Felicia and Lucy from him by trying to put him away for a long time." 

"Let me guess," Scott interrupted her. "Lucy didn't want your protection." 

"Do obstruction of justice charges and witness tampering accusations tell you anything?" Dara shrugged. 

"Only that they have Lucy's name all over them." Scott sighed. "Was any of it recorded?" 

"No. I just threatened her. But it didn't stop her. She hired Alexis, and I guess you know where that ended up." 

Scott stared at her for a long moment. "If you're called to testify, what would you say to the defense asking you if you think Kevin is capable of hurting Lucy?"

"Can they call her?" Richards interrupted. "I mean, Dara's prosecuting the case." 

"They can if they can prove relevance. The fact that she prosecuted Kevin would definitely be relevant if they're going to say Kevin did it." Scott stared at Dara and waited for an answer. 

After thinking about it, Dara sighed. "At the time, I believed he'd do it again the first chance he got. But I guess... probably not until you and Felicia were planning the double wedding with Kevin and Lucy that I really believed he was better." Dara gestured to Mac. "I saw more of him while the planning was going on. I saw him with Felicia and they seemed to be... close again." She looked at Mac for a moment. "I guess I'd say no." 

"But you suspected he'd done something to Lucy back then, right?" Scott wanted to know what they were up against. 

"Yes. I was sure of it. But Lucy wouldn't talk about it. She was determined to protect him, no matter what." 

"And that's exactly what the defense is counting on to convince the jury. Lucy would protect Kevin, even if meant accusing their poor defenseless client." Scott sighed. "The malpractice case is underway, and I guess another D.A. has the assault charges against Kevin, right?" 

Dara nodded. "Conflict of interest at this point. The cases are too closely related for me to have both of them."

"I don't get this." Mac shook his head. "I mean, we had a clear cut case, here. How are they going to get his confession to Kevin kicked?" 

"Probably say that Davis found her and has a hard time separating fact from fiction. Kevin can back that up." Scott shrugged. "That's the route I'd take."

Richards stood. "What about the fact that Trent has history of violence, too?" 

"Never convicted." Dara answered. "His wife always dropped the charges."

"What about her?" 

"She left town." Scott closed his briefcase. ""That's why this guy was after Kevin to begin with. Thought Kevin knew where she was. But Dara's right. She'd probably be a hostile witness, and we can't force her to testify against him anyway."

"So what do we do?" Mac watched Scott and Richard pace around the room. 

"Counter the plea." 

"Okay, Scott. You know Lucy." Dara answered him. "What do you think she'd go for?"

"First, Lucy knows what the defense is up to. She doesn't want this to go to court if it means all of and hers and Kevin's skeletons get dug out of the closet. One of the lovely press vultures already asked her if Kevin put the bruises on her, and it really freaked her out. I'd love to see him get jail time, but I don't think we're going to see that in a plea. Cushy psych ward for a while would be doable. We know he has a history, so I'd go for some violent charge for his record. I doubt Schneider will go for a violent sex crime, but something that will label him. Get him off the street and give him a felony record, I think Lucy will go for it." 

"To protect Kevin, right?" Richards looked at Scott. 

"And herself at this point, but yeah. The thought that they were going to accuse Kevin really got to her." 

"He must really be good to her." Richards sighed. 

"Actually, he hasn't been. But if I'm going to be honest, I haven't been that great to her, either, and she'd do the same for me." 

"I guess we're all in agreement here." Dara stood. "Keep this out of the courtroom." 

"Keep me posted." Scott watched her leave and turned to Mac. "There's more to this. Care to fill me in?" 

Sighing, Mac looked at Richards before answering Scott. "It has more to do with Kevin's case. The defense is threatening some pretty nasty publicity concerning Kevin heading up the psychiatric SWAT team for the PCPD." 

"And the mayor doesn't want that, right?" 

"You got it." 

Leaning on the desk, Scott glared at Mac. "We all agree that a plea is the way to go, but I'm telling you, Mac. Dara sells Lucy out to cover the mayor's ass, and I'll pull out so many of his skeletons that he'll think Kevin's bad publicity is a children's book! Don't forget I have lived here most of my life, and my specialty is doing damage." 

"I know, Scott, and believe me, if I get a feeling that Dara's going to cave to the pressure, I'll remind her of that. And the mayor, if I have to." Mac almost smiled at Scott. "It's about time that reputation of yours does some good." 

"Damn right. I worked hard to get it, and I'll go to the mat for this one." Picking up his briefcase, Scott turned and left. 


	10. Surviving Loves Obstacles Chapter 10

Mandy turned the newspaper over and looked at it as she drank her coffee. What she saw on the front page made her choke on her coffee and almost rip the paper apart to see the entire article. Knowing she was only getting part of the story, Mandy read the article word for word. The press had not only gotten a hold of what happened to Lucy, they had also been 'fed' the information that Lucy was possibly protecting Kevin by accusing Trent. She hadn't known that Kevin had a record, but she still believed that Trent being the one that hurt Kevin's girlfriend was the better bet. 

The article went on to say that Mandy had been unavailable for comment, as was Kevin's wife, Eve Lambert-Collins. It confused Mandy that Kevin had a wife and a girlfriend. She hadn't thought him the type for that, but she knew that she had to talk to him about Trent, and what had really happened. The entire article screamed Maria all over it, and she knew that there was a lot more guilt on Trent's shoulders than the article was leading the public to believe. 

Grabbing her keys, she set off for the hospital first, then to wherever Kevin was. 

  
The phone rang and Kevin grabbed it before it could wake Lucy. "Yeah." 

"Hey, it's me." 

"How did it go yesterday?" Kevin wanted Scott to tell him, but he struggled to keep his voice down until he was out of hearing range of the bedroom. 

"He's gonna cop a plea. We're just trying to decide how far we can push him. Schneider is making a lot of threats. I'm calling to warn you that he's already making good on one of them." 

"Which is?" Kevin knew he wasn't going to like it, but he had to know.

"Keep the newspaper away from her." 

"How much do they know?"

Scott hesitated. "Everything. It's on the front page." 

Closing his eyes, Kevin sighed. 

"The defense leaked it. It even includes the theory that Lucy's protecting you." 

"Do you have any idea what this will do to her?"

"Of course I know! Why do you think I'm calling you to warn you?!" 

"Okay, okay. I get it. Thanks for calling. What are you doing on your end?" 

"Threatening to do twice as much damage if Dara sells her out." 

Kevin smiled. "I'm glad the baddest guy in town is on her side." 

"Comes in handy, huh." 

"Yeah." 

"The defense is putting a lot of pressure on the mayor about why somebody with your record is working for the PCPD. But I promised Dara that I will bury the mayor if Davis doesn't get what's coming to him. She's supposed to call me with the plea on the table today." 

"Keep us informed. I have to take Lucy to GH today, and I don't think it's going to go well if everybody knows what happened to her. I have to tell her, and I don't think she's going to want to leave the house if she knows."

"Want some back up?"

Kevin thought about it for a moment. "Maybe at GH would be good. I have to go to the lab. We've already stated that it was me, but they need to match the DNA with the lab report." 

"Okay. Give me a call when you're there, and I'll meet you." 

"Thanks, Scott." Hanging up, Kevin walked back to the bedroom door, and wasn't surprised to hear the shower running. He really didn't want to tell her, but they way he imagined everyone would be staring at her at GH, he knew she had to know. 

Someone knocked on the door and he sighed. Expecting it to be another reporter, he walked to the door and looked out. The sight of Mandy standing on the other side of the door shocked him. Quickly he opened it and looked at her. 

"I hope you don't mind. I followed the reporters. Can I.. can I come in?" 

"Sure." Standing back, Kevin watched Mandy walk past him. 

"I need to know something. I read the papers, but I have a feeling that there's a big piece missing." 

"Such as?" Kevin wasn't sure what Mandy was after, and he wasn't about to offer her any information. 

"Such as the fact that Trent is really the one that hurt your friend?" It was a question, but it really wasn't.

His eyes met hers. "Yeah." 

Mandy began to cry. "I knew it. Kevin, I'm sorry. If I hadn't walked out on him like that, he-" 

"Stop. This has nothing to do with you." She glared at him, and he rephrased his words. "It's not your fault. You were protecting yourself. And you were right. I should have seen this coming, and I didn't." 

"So we both sit here and feel guilty for what Trent did? I can tell you that's exactly what Maria wants." 

"Maria?" 

"Trent's mother. How dare we blame poor Trent. He has problems, and we just don't understand, you know how that goes." 

Kevin stared at her. "Why do I get the feeling that I never heard the entire story about Trent?" 

"Because you didn't. Trent agreed to get help for... for our problems, but he never believed that what he did before was important. So.." 

"He didn't get anything out of it." Kevin sighed. 

"And your friend got hurt." Mandy was about to say more, but Lucy appeared in the doorway. The bruises were fading, but Mandy knew what they had been like. She'd had enough of her own from Trent to know. 

Mandy and Lucy stared at each other for a moment. Before Kevin could say anything, Mandy sighed. "I'm sorry." 

"You wouldn't happen to be Mandy, would you?" Lucy moved closer. 

"Yeah. I know, I'm the last person you want to see right now. I'll go- " 

"Wait." When Mandy stopped, Lucy approached her. "I've seen first hand what he's like. It took a lot of guts to get away from him."

"No, it took being scared and leaving other people to pay for it." 

"That's not true." Licking her lips, Lucy searched for the words. "You had to get away from him. I do have one question, though."

"I owe you that." 

"You don't owe me anything." Lucy shook her head. "But you made the move. You left him. Why did you come back?" Her eyes searched Mandy's for the truth. If it was to defend him, Lucy decided that she was going to smack Mandy herself. 

"Because I had to know what he did. His mother left me a message that he'd been put away again, and I knew it had something to do with me." 

"And now what are you going to do?" Lucy's voice took on a challenging tone that Kevin recognized and didn't like, and he moved closer to the women. 

"I don't know." Oblivious to Lucy's mood, Mandy sighed. "Part of me would love to just get back on a plane and forget all about it." 

"And the other part?" 

Mandy looked at them for a long moment. "It's time Trent dealt with what he does. I've never had the nerve to follow through, and now someone else got hurt because I kept forgiving him." Tears came to Mandy's eyes, and she shrugged. "I can't tell you I want to see him in jail, but he can't be out running around. He'll only hurt more people." 

"I can tell you still love him." Lucy's voice was low, but not accusatory. Mandy nodded, and Lucy continued. "As far as I'm concerned, they can't do enough to him to come close to paying for what he did to me. And I suspect he's done the same to you before." 

Unable to answer her, Mandy dropped her eyes to the floor and nodded. 

"And now. What he's doing to Kevin-" 

"That's Maria. His mother." Mandy lifted her head and stared at Lucy. Lucy's eyes flashed angrily and Mandy backed away from her. "I'm NOT defending Trent. I'm saying that this whole 'Trent's innocent, Trent's a victim, it's my fault, it's Kevin's fault' all comes from her. She can't admit that Trent has done anything wrong. If she did, she'd have to take some of the blame herself, and she won't do that." 

Mandy's eyes went to Kevin. "I know you tried to help him. So does Trent. But every time Maria gets involved, the situation gets ten times worse. Because she won't let Trent take any of the blame for his own actions. I want it to stop before anyone else gets hurt." 

"It's not your responsibility." Lucy began, but Mandy cut her off. 

"I can help. The defense attorney Maria hired wants to talk to me. They want me to stand behind Trent, but I can't. I also can't help you send him to jail." 

"Which leaves you where?" Lucy stared at Mandy. "In the middle?" 

"I don't know!" Her voice was sharp, and she realized she was about to completely set Lucy off. "I guess I am, in a way. I'm looking for a middle ground. Trent can't be set free. I know he's dangerous. At this point, I think he'd kill me if he got the chance. I'm sure Maria convinced him that this is all my fault. But jail isn't going to help him. You know that, right Kevin?" 

Kevin knew Lucy was staring daggers at him, but he didn't look at her. "I don't know what would do him any good at this point, Mandy. I'm hardly an objective party here anymore. What he did.." Finally he looked at Lucy and Mandy sighed. 

"That's why you attacked him." When they turned to her, Mandy shook her head. "Maria told me that you'd tried to strangle him. I didn't understand. That's why I'm here. I had to know what the missing piece was."

"And now that you know?" Lucy stared at her. 

"What are the options?" 

Kevin sighed, realizing that he hadn't had a chance to tell Lucy yet. "Scott doesn't know if going to court is the best thing." Lucy stared at him, and he moved closer to her. "He's waiting to hear from Dara what she thinks the defense is going to go for." 

"I want to help." Mandy stared at Lucy. "I don't want to help send him to jail, but if he's going to be put in a hospital, I think that's where he needs to be." 

Kevin tensed, but Lucy sighed. "It will give Dara some leverage, if you're serious." At Kevin's questioning glance, she shrugged. "I don't want this to go to court, either. He's done enough to BOTH of us. And, we have to be realistic about this, Doc. What are the odds of him actually seeing the inside of a jail cell?" 

A nagging suspicion ran through Kevin's mind that it wasn't this simple to her, but he shrugged. "The worst part is that my own records will help his case to avoid it." 

Taking a deep breath, Lucy looked at Mandy. "I know how hard it was for you to come here. And I appreciate it." Before Mandy could reply, Lucy turned and went into the bedroom. 

Mandy began to cry. "I can't believe what he did... no, I can believe it, but I...What he did to her..." 

"It's going to take some time, but she'll be better." 

"She won't ever be the same. You and I know that. She knows it, too." 

Kevin realized that Mandy knew it better then she wanted to, so he just nodded.

"Mandy, do you need something? I want you to be okay, too. And I think you're right about Trent being more dangerous for you now than ever." 

"I'm fine. Don't worry about me. I've lived through him before, and I'll make sure I get past him for good this time." She handed him a piece of hotel stationary. "This is where I'm staying. I'd appreciate it if you didn't tell anyone." 

"I won't say a word." 

"Let me know if I can do anything." She headed for the door, but turned back to him. "You tried to help him, Kevin, but without the entire story, you couldn't." 

After she left, Kevin went into the bedroom and stopped. Lucy was sitting on the bed, staring at the wall. 

"You okay?"

"Yeah." Her voice was a whisper. "It was just...." She shrugged. 

"It's okay." Sitting next to her, he sighed. "I have to tell you something else." 

"Do you have to?" 

"Yes. The reporters.. They got everything, Lucy. They know." 

She closed her eyes and for a moment, Kevin thought she was going to fall over. But she didn't, and she took a deep breath. "Everything?" 

"Yeah." He wished he could tell her otherwise, but he had to warn her. 

The tears came, and no matter how hard she fought them, she couldn't stop. 

  
"Come on, Alan! There has to be another way to handle this!" 

"It's called risk management, Scott! I have to suspend Kevin until this is over!" Struggling to calm himself, Alan looked at Scott. "I know this is the last thing either one of them need right now, but I have to protect the hospital first. You know that." 

"I know that. But that just means that we have to get this over with." A knock on Alan's office door brought Gail inside. 

"Alan's suspending Kevin." Scott stated it flatly to her.

"I was afraid you'd have to do that." Gail shook her head. "Have you told him yet?"

"I'll do it." Scott shrugged. "I've been the bearer of all their bad news up till now, why stop?" 

"Scott," When Scott looked at Alan, he hesitated. "I have a pretty good idea how Kevin is. How is Lucy?" 

"How do you think she is, Alan? She's hurt, a nutcase did it, and the guy she's in love with is paying for it." 

"How is that end going? I mean, Lucy's case." 

"If it goes to trial, she gets hurt all over again. I'm sure you've seen today's paper. It's not just by what he did to her, but the defense is ready to pull every lousy thing Lucy or Kevin ever did out for the jury." 

"It's going to plea, isn't it." Alan knew the answer. 

"Yeah. Don't know how far it will go, but it won't go to trial."

"And Kevin's?" Scott stared at Alan, but Alan tried again. "I know you can't give me the details, but I need to have some idea of how bad this could get." 

"Between the two cases, it could get pretty nasty. We're all trying to avoid that, but I'm not sure we can." Shaking his head, Scott sat down. "I guess I get to earn Kevin's money now and ask you for the details of his suspension and figure out how he can fight it." 

"Scott, I think you better talk to Kevin before you do anything." Gail tried to play devil's advocate with Scott. "I mean, he took a leave of absence as of the day it happened. I'm not sure he'd want to come back before this is over." 

"But right now, the leave is his idea. A suspension doesn't look good on a record." Scott turned back to Alan. "So, how do we resolve this?" 

"Can you be sure that Kevin won't be back before this is over?" 

"Can you allow this to go on his record as a voluntary leave of absence?" 

"As long as he doesn't come back before the case is over." 

"Gail's right about that. I don't think he'll want to, and if he does, I'll convince him that a suspension is NOT in his best interest." 

"Scott, I'm willing to let this ride for now, but if he's convicted, or if his plea results in losing his license.." 

"I'm not going to let it come to that, but I know that if he does, you have to terminate his contract. He knows that, too."

"As long as we're on the same page, Scott. I don't want to add to Kevin's trouble, but I can't jeopardize GH for him, either."

"I'm not asking you to, Alan. I'm asking you to give him a break. Just until we figure out what's gonna happen." 

"Okay, Scott. I'll leave this as a voluntary leave of absence. But Kevin has to know that it's only voluntary unless he tries to-" 

"I know! And he'll know. I'll tell him, Alan. He's coming here today with Lucy." 

"Scott," Gail finally spoke. "I'd like to see them when they get here. I'm sure the newspapers had an effect on both of them." 

Nodding, Scott looked at his watch. "That's probably not a bad idea. They'll be here in a couple hours. Kevin asked me to stay with her while he went to the lab." 

"Have you seen her since she went home?"

"Yesterday." Scott stared at Gail. "I don't think either one of them are doing too great." 

Before anyone could say anything else, Scott's cell rang. Alan glared at him and he shrugged. Seeing the PCPD number, he used Alan's phone and dialed it. He told the switchboard operator to tell Dara or Mac to call him back in five minutes and hung up. "I'll be in touch, Alan. And I'll tell Kevin and Lucy that you want to see them when they get here." Nodding to Gail, he went out the door. 

  
Exiting the elevator, Lucy squeezed Kevin's hand. 

"You can do this." He whispered in her ear, as he had been since he'd taken her hand and pulled her out of the car. 

It seemed to Lucy that everyone stopped and stared at her, but she hoped it was her imagination. 

Colleen turned from the file she was reading and saw Lucy. "Hi, Lucy." 

"Hi." The sympathy she saw in her friend's eyes made her stomach turn. 

"Look, it's going to be a few minutes, but the floor is pretty quiet, if you just want to wait here." 

Lucy nodded and turned to Kevin. Wrapping his arm around her shoulders, he led her to the sofa. She sat for a moment, but after a few people walked by, she stood. "I can't sit still." 

"Okay." Standing with her, he watched her pace. 

Kevin's cell rang, and she jumped. Reaching out to touch her face gently, Kevin pulled his cell out with the other hand. Looking at it, he turned it on. "I'm in the hospital, let me call you right back." 

He hung up and looked at her. "Victor." 

She visibly relaxed and nodded. "I'm fine. Go call him back."

While he went to the phone, she continued to pace around the lounge. "How did you get in here?!" Eve's voice preceded her getting out of the elevator. "I said NO COMMENT!" As Eve turned and saw Lucy, a flash from the reporter's camera caught the moment. 

"Mrs. Collins, what do you have to say to the woman that broke up your marriage?"

It was as if time suddenly stopped. Kevin heard the question and looked up to see Eve standing a few feet away from Lucy, who was staring at the ground. 

Lucy was waiting for Eve to tell the reporter exactly what she thought about her, and there was nothing she could say. Eve's first instinct was to say no comment again, but she realized that this would only get worse if she didn't put a stop to it. "My marriage broke up because my husband and I realized we'd made a mistake. Lucy had nothing to do with it." 

"So it doesn't bother you that your husband is living with her now?" 

The reporter wasn't about to give up that easily.

Eve saw Kevin approaching, and she stepped closer to Lucy. "You need to check your facts. I walked out. Now, I'm the type of person that when I want something, I stick around and FIGHT for it. I didn't. I left. Does THAT answer all of your questions?" 

Kevin reached them and moved to stand on Lucy's other side while glaring at the reporter. "Security is on the way to escort you from the building." 

Eve was glaring at the reporter, Kevin was watching Lucy, who was staring at the ground and biting her lip. 

The reporter figure he had one more shot before security arrived, and he decided to take it. "I guess that could mean that you're just glad that he has someone ELSE to take out his mental problems on, is that-"

Eve stepped forward, as did Kevin, but it was Lucy that shocked everyone. Before anyone could stop her, she moved towards the reporter and grabbed him by the shirt. By the time she reached him, she had enough momentum going to send him into the counter. 

"YOU SON OF A BITCH! WHY DO ALL OF YOU WANT TO PROTECT THAT WACKO BASTARD? TRENT DAVIS BROKE INTO MY HOME, HE SLAPPED ME, HE PUNCHED ME, HE DRAGGED ME AROUND BY THE HAIR AND RAPED ME!" She was completely hysterical, and Kevin tried to take her by the arm gently, but she jerked away from him and continued her tirade on the reporter. "Why are you all so intent on digging up shit that happened four years ago instead of what happened 4 days ago?" Jerking on his shirt, she pulled him to face her. "ANSWER ME!"

Kevin started to grab Lucy, but then he realized that if he physically restrained her, he would only be proving the reporters point. Eve looked at Kevin for a moment before she moved closer to Lucy. 

"Lucy, let it go!" Eve tried to stop her, but Lucy ignored her. 

"It's your turn. Answer the question!" 

Security hadn't appeared yet, but there was a crowd gathering around them. Lucy's voice was echoing through the halls and more people appeared to see what was happening. The reporter was still trying to get away from her, but she wasn't about to let go of him. "I want to know why everyone wants to protect a wife beating lunatic?"

"Wife beating?" Now the reporter wanted to hear what Lucy was saying. "Davis is a wife beater?" 

Kevin's mind went to Mandy, and he knew that the press would go after her now. But at the moment, Lucy was his main concern, and he tried to figure out a way to stop her before she said anything else. Someone shoved him from behind, and Scott's voice carried over Lucy's. 

"That's enough!" Getting between Lucy and the reporter, Scott grabbed her arms and tried to move her back. At first she fought him, but he reached for her waist and pulled her with him. "Come on, Lucy." 

"NO! For once, somebody needs to hear the truth!" 

"They don't care about the truth, Lucy!" Scott yelled at her, and pulled her harder. "All they care about is what will sell papers!" 

She was struggling against Scott, and his hand caught her ribs. Instantly, she screamed in pain and grabbed for his arm. Scott realized he'd hurt her, and he moved his hand to her arm. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry. Come here." Moving to stand in front of her, Scott wrapped his arms around her and held her. 

Watching Lucy literally fall apart in Scott's arms sent Kevin into a rage. But as Kevin advanced on the reporter, Eve grabbed his arm. "Kevin, don't." 

As Kevin turned to her, security finally arrived and dragged the reporter to the elevator. Kevin and Eve turned to Scott and Lucy. She'd stopped crying, but she hadn't let go of Scott. Scott looked at Kevin before leaning closer to Lucy and whispering in her ear. "It's over. He's gone." 

"I can't believe I did that." She shook her head. 

"Come on, Lucy Coe making a scene? Never happened before, right?" Scott stroked her hair. "That one barely registered on your scale." 

"I just.." Leaning away from him, she looked at him. "I just told everybody.." 

"What they already knew." Touching her face, Scott wiped the tears off her cheek. "I'm sorry, but the papers already told everybody. But you told them who really did it, Lucy. That's important." 

She nodded and turned to Kevin. "I can't stand what they're doing to you."

"Stop." He touched her head as she held on to Scott. "You have nothing to do with this." 

Eve had been watching Lucy silently, still a little shocked at her outburst. Finally, she moved closer so she could keep her voice down. "I tried to put a stop to the rumors, but-" 

"I know, Eve. Thanks. I owe you." Lucy sighed.

Eve stared at her for a moment.  "You've been through enough, Lucy. I wish I had settled things with Kevin before I left town. At least that part of it wouldn't be happening." She thought about it for a moment, and then looked at Kevin. "I don't know if now is the right time, but I was wondering if you'd had a chance..." 

"I haven't. But I'm sure Scott can handle it. I just hadn't had a chance to ask him yet." 

"Ask me what?" Scott looked at them. 

"Our divorce." Kevin shrugged. "It hasn't been the top priority on my mind these days." Realizing how that sounded, he reached for Lucy's hand. "Not that it isn't a priority." 

"Doc, it's okay." Lucy moved away from Scott and held Kevin's hand. Suddenly she thought about Scott being there. "What are you doing here?" 

Scott didn't want to tell her that he was supposed to baby sit her, but he also didn't think she was ready for the latest information. His expression said it all for her. 

Shaking her head, she moved closer to Kevin. "This is more bad news. I don't want to hear it." 

Kevin put his arm around her shoulders and took her hand. "We have to, right?" His eyes met Scott's. 

"Yeah. First, I can handle the divorce. If you both want it, and you're not getting into a big property battle, it won't take much." 

"When you get a chance, talk to Eve. I'll go along with anything she needs to get started." Kevin looked at her. 

"Thanks." Eve's eyes met his for a moment, then she back away. "I'll go." 

"Thanks, Eve." Lucy stared at her for a moment. After Eve was gone, Lucy turned to Scott. "So what is it now?"

Taking a deep breath, Scott sighed before he started. "I just came from Alan's office. You're leave of absence is okay, unless you want to go back to work before this is over." 

"Let me guess. Then it becomes a suspension?" Kevin knew the answer as he asked the question. 

"Yeah. I also spoke to Dara and Mac. Lots of threats going both ways now, but the gist is that he wants Davis declared unfit to stand trial if they can't reach a plea bargain. One that doesn't include jail time." 

"Which means?" Lucy stared at Scott.

"Which means that he'll be in Ferncliff for a while."

"And it will be just like Julie. A year from now, or ten years from now, we'll have to go through this all over again, right?" Lucy stared at Scott, trying to absorb everything he was saying. 

"Yeah." It was the only answer he could give her. 

"What about Kevin's case?" 

"Schneider has to go to the mat on that one if he's gonna get the malpractice angle." 

"This is all about the money, right?" Lucy's eyes took on a look that Scott didn't like. "I mean, you said the insurance company will probably settle, right? So he.." She had to stop for a moment, but then she finished. "Assuming all the policies involved settle for the maximum amounts, he could actually get PAID over half a million dollars for attacking me, right?" 

Scott didn't answer her. 

"RIGHT?!" 

Scott's eyes met Kevin's for a moment before he looked at Lucy again and nodded. "It won't read that way on paper, but yeah." 

Lucy's eyes dropped to the floor and she stayed quiet. Too quiet for Scott. Finally, when she spoke, her voice was a whisper. "You should have killed him, Doc." 

Kevin stayed quiet, almost agreeing with her, but Scott rolled his eyes. "Oh, yeah. That would have been MUCH better." 

Turning, Lucy poked him with her finger and advanced on him. "You tell me one way this could be WORSE!"

"Murder charges! Ring a bell in there?" Scott gestured towards her head. 

"Well, YOU'RE the defense genius! Kevin may end up in jail, anyway, he could lose his license, the hospital is going to have to pay, hell, the insurance wouldn't have to pay to a dead man, so it would be better."

"You're talking crazy, here, Lucy. And you need to stop." Scott was afraid of who could hear her tirade and how it would affect Kevin's case. He looked at Kevin, wondering why Kevin wasn't saying anything. 

Kevin was simply waiting for her to stop. Trying to stop her was useless, but he knew that if he let her get it out, she'd calm down. She did. But when she calmed down, neither man was too happy with her next thought. 

"You're right. Kevin killing him would have been worse. Maybe I should kill him myself." Her voice was quiet, and the way she was visibly thinking about it scared them both. 

"Lucy," Kevin's first thought was to try to reason with her, but Scott, never one to reason, grabbed her arm and pulled her to face him. 

"Don't even joke about that!" 

"Who's joking, Scott?" His response only fueled hers, and she grabbed his shirt. "If rape pays half a million, I guess murder would pay over a million, right? I mean, if that's the way the system works, I-"

Making a legal defense decision, Scott grabbed her. "We need an empty room, we need to get her away from anyone that could testify to this conversation." 

Nodding, Kevin pointed to the storage closet. He tried to take her arm and pull her away from Scott gently, but Scott knew Lucy was about to let her mouth get all of them in trouble, and he didn't let go. As she tried to speak again, he put his hand over her mouth and pulled her. 

Kevin had no idea what to do. If he stepped in, it would cause an even bigger scene, which could lead to Lucy killing Scott right there. Before he could do anything, Scott had her almost to the closet door. 

Somewhere between the lounge and the door, Lucy started to really panic. By the time Kevin followed them both in, Lucy was slapping at Scott, who couldn't see her face. Finally, with the door shut behind them, Scott released her. 

The first thing Lucy did was turn around and slap Scott. "Who in the hell do you think you are?!" 

Scott blocked her swing and backed away from her. She was furious and crying, and the only thing she wanted to do was hit him. Kevin started to stop her, but Scott was fairly calm about the fact that Lucy was trying to beat him senseless. 

"Lucy," Scott had realized that he'd sent her into a panic, and he waited for her to stop. "I'm sorry. But I had to stop you." 

"You son of a bitch!" She continued to hit him and he stood there. "What gives you the right to just grab me like that?! That you can put your hands on me and just jerk me around?!" 

Finally, after several more swings, Scott caught her wrists and held her. "I'm sorry! Lucy, I'm sorry. But you going on and on about murdering someone we'd all like to see dead is only gonna bring us all more trouble. ESPECIALLY KEVIN!"

That stopped her. Turning, she looked at Kevin, who was only about two feet from her in the small space. "I'm sorry." 

Kevin stared at Lucy, but spoke to Scott. "Let her go." 

When Scott let her go, Kevin pulled her into his arms. "Scott's right. Not about grabbing you, and if he ever does that to you again, I'll hold him while you beat him." 

His eyes told Scott that he was NOT kidding about that. "But he's right about threats and going on about wanting him dead." 

Moving closer to her, Scott sighed. "I didn't mean to scare you. I just needed to shut you up." 

She didn't respond to him, so he gently touched her head. "Hey." His voice was quiet. 

She finally looked at him. 

"I'm really sorry. I'd never hurt you. You know that." 

Nodding, she reached out and tugged on his shirt gently. "My head knows it, but right now..." 

It hit Scott what he had just really done to her. Kevin could see it on his face. Before Scott could say anything else, a soft knock on the door caught their attention. 

Eve's voice called through the door. "You guys okay in there?" 

"Yeah." Scott cracked the door and stared at her. "I guess we're a little loud." 

"How about YES." Eve shrugged. "But that isn't why I'm here. Colleen is looking for Lucy. The doctor is ready for her."

Without looking at either man, Lucy pulled away from Kevin, pushed Scott out of her way and went out the door. 

Scott started to follow, but Kevin grabbed him and shoved him into the shelf behind him. "You EVER grab her like that again and I'll-" 

"You won't have to. I'll stand still and let her, okay?" Scott stared at Kevin, understanding his anger. "I didn't think." 

"That much is obvious." 

"I'm trying to help, here! You want her running around the hospital telling people that she is going to kill him?" 

"NO! But that doesn't mean grabbing her and dragging her around the room like he did is going to help her!" 

Scott's eyes met Kevin's for a moment. "That's what she was thinking." He ran his hands through his own hair. "I didn't mean.. I didn't think about.. I knew she'd slap me, but I didn't know she was going to completely freak out on me. I didn't mean to make her think about it."

Kevin sighed. "It's amazing. As close as the two of you are, you never mean to do things to each other, but you both always end up doing it." 

"That's why I'm her EX husband." Scott smiled in spite of the conversation. "And YOU'LL probably be her next one." 

"There's no probably about it." Kevin muttered, then stared at Scott. "Assuming you can keep me out of jail." 

"I'll do everything I can, and a few things I probably shouldn't." Scott shrugged. 

"Then do it. And get me my divorce. I don't want to say anything to her about marriage until I know I'm free to marry her." 

"Please don't. I can't take many more beatings from her like that one." 

Kevin started to smile, but then glared at Scott. "You ever touch her like that again, and a beating from HER won't be your biggest worry. I'm serious, Scott. She can't deal with it right now." 

"I know. I mean, I didn't, but I get it. He really messed with her head." 

Kevin reached for the door. "I'm going to the lab. You stay here and wait for her to come out." 

"Yeah. Gail wants to talk to both of you while you're here." 

"I had a feeling. As soon as we're both back here." Both men left the storage room. 

  
Lucy headed for the office, but as she did, she passed the stairway and an urge to run hit her. Before she stopped long enough to think about what she was doing, she went through the door and ran down the stairs. All she could think about was getting away. The stairway seemed to close in on her as she hit the first floor and by the time she got into the corridor, she could barely breathe. Leaning against the wall, she took several deep breaths, trying to force herself to calm down, but she couldn't. A few people stopped and stared at her, but she didn't know any of them. For some reason it went through her mind that they had to be patients or visitors, but she didn't really care. A voice in her head told her she was completely freaking out, but the only thought that made sense to her was getting away. 

"Lucy?" Ian's voice caught her attention, and when she turned to him, he was approaching her. 

On the verge of hyperventilating, she stared at him. 

Looking at her intently, Ian reached for her arm. "Are you okay?"

As soon as his hand touched her, she jerked away from him. "DON'T!" 

"Okay." He backed up a little, but tried to talk to her. "You're not here alone, are you? Where's Kevin?"

"In the closet." 

"What?" Her answer confused him. 

"Nevermind." Shaking her head, she continued to take deep breaths and backed up farther. "Why does everyone insist on grabbing me? Because HE can do it, everybody can?" 

Ian didn't like the way she looked, or the way she was rambling, so he kept a small distance between them in an effort to not scare her further. "I want to help, Lucy." 

"I know. But you can't. Nobody can, don't you get that? I have to do this on my own. I have to deal with this. He's trying to send Kevin to jail, did you know that?"

Ian nodded. "I knew about that." 

"He's never going to go to jail, did you know that one?" 

"What?" That shocked Ian. 

"Nope." Shaking her head, she started to cry again. "As a matter of fact, he's going to be richer than he ever dreamed he'd be thanks to me." 

"I'm confused, Lucy. How is he going to make money from what he did to you?" 

"Because it's not his fault. You didn't know that? It's the hospital's fault, it's Kevin's fault, it's everybody's fault except his." 

Stunned, Ian had no idea what to say to her. 

"But it IS his fault! HE did this, not the hospital, not Kevin, HE did it! But I'm the only one who can do anything about it." Making her mind up, she nodded. "That's it. I'm the only one. And I'm going to do it. I'm going to end this once and for all. I have to." 

"Lucy, what are you thinking about doing?" Ian was beyond worried, but had no idea what to do. 

"I don't know, really. I'll let you know when I do." Turning, she started to walk towards the door. 

"Lucy," Following her, Ian was afraid to let her go, but didn't know how to keep her there. "Come on, talk to me. What are you going to do? Where are you going?"

She ignored him and kept walking. As she reached the ER doors, Ian continued to follow. 

"Dr. Thornhart!" 

Sighing, Ian turned to see Chris at the entrance to one of the cubicles. "Not now, Ramsey!"

"There's a car accident about 4 minutes out. I need you to be ready." 

"I'll be right back!" He followed Lucy out the door, but she was gone. "Damn it!" Running back inside, he ignored Chris's questions and went to the desk. "Have you seen Kevin Collins?"

The nurse on duty shook her head. "Not in a few days. Since he was here with-" 

"Lucy, I know. I just saw her, and I need to find him." 

"Dr. Thornhart, I need you-" 

"I heard you, Chris! I lost Lucy because I was listening to you!"

"You... lost Lucy?" Chris laughed. "I didn't know you had her." 

Glaring at Chris, Ian stepped closer to him. "I'm glad you find this so funny, Ramsey! I need to find out where Kevin is, and if he knows she's out of control." 

Not getting what Ian was saying, Chris shook his head. "Lucy is ALWAYS out of control, and for as long as Kevin's known her, I'm sure he knows it." 

"Hey, you two! This is a hospital, remember?" Eve's voice was sarcastic as she approached them. "Why are you arguing about Lucy?" 

"Ramsey seems to be highly amused by what happened to her." 

Eve stared at Chris, who shook his head. "I'm NOT amused by what happened to her. I just can't understand why you're so frantic about finding her. She's probably with Kevin." 

"Did you just not hear anything I just said? She's not with Kevin! She just ran out of here!" 

"What?" Eve looked at him. "I just saw her. She was going in for her follow up." 

"Well, she just ran out of here, saying something about doing something about what was happening." 

Immediately, Eve grabbed the phone and dialed the 6th floor. Ian watched her as she asked for Kevin or Scott. When she finally had Scott on the phone, she handed Ian the phone. "You tell him exactly what she said." 

Still not understanding a word Lucy had said, he repeated it to Scott, who immediately went into a panic. "I'm on my way down. Call the lab, tell Kevin what's happened, and I'll meet him there." 

After Scott hung up on him Ian looked at Eve. "You tell me, Lambert. What kind of justice system does this country have that this guy could actually MAKE money off of hurting a woman?"

"What?" Eve looked at Ian. "I don't get that." 

"I do." Chris was no longer smiling and he looked at them. "This can't go any farther then the two of you, but the guy that....assaulted her is suing the hospital and Kevin for malpractice." 

Ian and Eve stared at Chris and Eve shook her head. "And from what Ian said that Lucy said, he must have a good chance of winning." 

"Scott told me to call the lab and tell Kevin." 

"I'll do it." Eve turned away from them and grabbed the phone again. 

"Sucks, huh." Chris shook his head. "I didn't get what you were saying, Ian. I'm not exactly the president of Lucy's fan club, and I'm not on her party invitation list. But I do NOT think it's funny that some guy can break into her house and do that to her. I feel bad about it. I really do. I'd like to see somebody beat her at her own game, not beat her the way he did." 

Nodding, Ian looked at him. "I guess I kind of went off on you." 

Chris shrugged. "You're her friend and you're worried about her. I didn't know you were literally following her." 

Ian stared at Chris, but Kevin entering the ER distracted him. "What happened? She was upstairs!" 

"She came down the stairs." Ian repeated his encounter with Lucy to him, and as he finished, Scott joined them. 

"Which way did she go?" Scott was already headed for the door.

"I don't know. By the time I got out there, she was gone. She's got a good head start." 

"I don't know who to call." Kevin sighed. 

"NO ONE!" Scott grabbed Kevin's arm and pulled him towards the door. "We'll find her. Thanks, Ian!" 

Outside, Kevin turned to Scott. "We're both thinking the same thing, aren't we." 

"You think she went after him, too?"

"I don't know, Scott. Normally, no. But." 

"But she's not thinking normally. Even for her. She's hurt, she's scared, and she's pissed. That's a bad combination for Lucy." 

"You don't think I know that?!" Kevin looked at him. "So we go to Mercy?" 

"NO! You don't. You can't go anywhere near him. I'll check out Mercy." Scott thought about it for a minute. "Call Victor and tell him what's happened. We could get lucky and she'll call him." 

For a moment, Kevin was confused. "Victor?" 

"Worth a shot." Scott shrugged. "He'll keep it quiet, he can help look for her, and she won't run from him if he finds her. She sure as hell bolted from ALL of us." Shaking his head, he stared at Kevin. "We all might be better off if he goes to Mercy to look for her. He won't be suspicious, and she'll go to him on her own. At least I think she will." 

"Well, Victor won't grab her and put his hand over her mouth." Kevin glared at Scott. 

"I said I was sorry! But you're right. Hopefully she'll trust him if he finds her." 

Nodding, Kevin picked up his cell and dialed Victor.

  
Maria Davis got up and walked to the door. The utter shock at who she found staring at her left her speechless. 

"I guess you recognize me. You've spent enough time finding out all about me, I kinda figured it was time you really saw who your son decided to mess with." Glaring at her, Lucy pushed past the stunned woman and into the house. 


	11. Surviving Loves Obstacles Chapter 11

Kevin grabbed his cell and realized it was Victor, who was looking for Lucy at Mercy. "You find her?" 

"No. She's not here, Monk. I've looked everywhere." 

"Good. I mean, it's not good that we still don't know where she is, but it's good she's not there." 

"Do you want me to stay here?" 

Thinking about it, Kevin shook his head to the phone before answering into it. "No. If she's not there now, I don't think she'll end up there. I'll call Livvie and ask her to come here to the house and maybe she'll show up when she calms down." 

Victor was quiet for a moment. "You really thought Lucy might try….. that she could have really gone after him?" He couldn't imagine Lucy actually trying to do someone bodily harm, even if they deserved it, which Trent did as far as Victor was concerned. 

"Right now, I'm not sure what she's capable of, Victor. Scott's right about her feelings not being a good combination. Hopefully, she'll calm herself down and call one of us."

Victor sighed. "Where do you want me to check next?"

"Try Luke's. I called, but I'm not sure Claude would know she was there if she didn't want him to know. Don't spook her, just let me know if you find her. She took off for a reason, and as long as I know she's with somebody, I'll feel better." 

"Okay. Where are you going to try?" 

"Scott's down on the docks, I'm going to try the park. I'll call you if I find her." Hanging up, Kevin dialed Livvie's number. For some reason he didn't think she'd come back home on her own, but he didn't want her to come home to an empty house if she did.

  
Dara stared at Mac and sighed. "I guess we need to call Scott and see what he thinks." 

"What do they want?"

"They'll go for a third degree assault, mandatory counseling, and a peace bond." 

"Great. He gets counseling and an order to stay away from her. What does she get?"

"Mac, this guy is good. He's threatening police harassment because Kevin was never even questioned in relation to her attack." 

"Lucy never identified Kevin! She identified his client! Why would we have questioned Kevin?" 

"I didn't say it made sense, but the attorney is going to push it." 

Dara sighed. "Mac, I need to talk to Scott, and see how much farther he thinks Lucy will make us-" 

"MAKE US!" Mac stood. "You're going to sell her out, aren't you. You're going to let this guy walk so the mayor doesn't have a few nasty headlines." 

"That's NOT what I'm doing, Mac. You think I want this guy to go free?" Standing, Dara faced him angrily. "But you also know what a trial could do to her. These headlines that you think the mayor is afraid of aren't helping her. You think she had a good morning today? I AM thinking about her. I want to avoid her waking up to this every morning, and maybe she'll stop thinking about it every minute of every day!" Mac stared at her, and her voice got quiet. "I like her, Mac. I also read the reports. I know what he did to her. And I've seen what a defense attorney can to do a rape victim who doesn't have the past Lucy has. I'm not criticizing her, but you don't want to know what this guy will do to her. Scott knows, you saw him. He wants this settled as badly as I do for HER sake."

Sitting back down, Mac shook his head. "He can't just walk, Dara." 

"He won't, Mac. We just have to figure out how much damage Schneider can do. To the case and to Lucy." 

  
"What the hell are you doing here?" Maria met Lucy's stare as she shut the door. 

"It was time you and I had a talk." Turning, Lucy walked around the room, waiting for the fact that she was there to sink in to Maria. 

"Where's your wacko boyfriend?" 

Not rising to her bait, Lucy smiled at her. "Be glad he's NOT here. But you and I have a few things to discuss." 

"One call to the cops and you-" 

"I'll what? You LET me in!" Shaking her head, Lucy licked her lips and faced Maria. "You've spent a lot of time and money doing your homework on me, so I guess I'll assume you know who I am. You know all the nasty things I've done to people in my time. Your son has me beat, but you won't admit to that, right?" 

Maria glared at her. "I don't know who you think you are-" 

"I KNOW who I am, and so do you. The point is, just how much do you know about who I am?" Maria didn't answer, and Lucy took that as an invitation to continue. "You researched Kevin O'Connor, and, of course, Kevin Collins. Did you research. say Damian Smith?" 

At Maria's blank stare, Lucy smiled. "Maybe Rex Stanton? Or maybe my two favorites, David Bordisso, and if you think Kevin's wacko, you'd REALLY love his brother, Ryan Chamberlain." 

"Is there a point to this?" 

"Only one. You did all that homework on me, maybe you should have spent some of that time finding out what happened to people" Lucy approached her slowly, staring into her eyes. "that REALLY crossed me." 

"Are you threatening me?" 

"No. Not at all. I'm just giving you a few names to take a look at. People that hurt me, or someone I love. Where they ended up wasn't pretty." She snapped her fingers. "I forgot all about Joe Scully. Victor Jerome, and his poor son, Julian." 

"I know those names. They were mobsters." Maria stared at her, suddenly taking on an air of disbelief. "If you think you're going to scare me you're wasting your time." 

"Nah. That would be kind of silly. But I guess you don't know as much about me as I thought you did. So I'm going to do you a favor, and fill in some of the blanks. I don't forgive, and I don't forget. There aren't that many things I'm really good at, but one of them is revenge. I'm VERY good at that. So you need to think about what's going to happen AFTER this is over, and maybe decide what is best for you and your son." 

"What does that mean? This sounds like a threat, and I'm NOT going to let you get away with that!"

"I'll start simple. With the money, since that's what this seems to be all about. He sues the insurance, I sue him. And, you know, the amount I decide to sue for will be the EXACT amount he gets." 

"You'll never win." 

"I don't care if I win or not, to be honest. Civil court doesn't even require as much evidence as criminal court does, did you know that?" Maria wasn't aware that she was shaking her head in the negative, but Lucy nodded at her. 

"The point is that my best friend, and ex-husband, by the way, is a lawyer. Just as good as Schneider, or maybe that's just as bad." Lucy shrugged. "Whatever works. See, he's taking this very personally, and that means that I don't even have to worry about all those pesky lawyer fees. Not that I couldn't afford them if I had to. But I will sue Trent, and even if I don't ever see a penny, I have the resources to tie this up in court so long that the lawyers will get it if I don't. Every penny of anything he makes for what he did to me. Do you understand that?" 

"I understand that you must be really worried if you're here." 

"Worried?" Lucy shook her head. "Nah. Just trying to make a point. He won't win this one. And even if he does, he'll lose. I'll see to it." 

"Don't you dare barge into this house and threaten my son! You have no idea who you're dealing with!" 

"Your son! Your son! That's all you've said since I got here! Why don't we talk about YOUR SON for a minute!" Lucy moved closer until she was about two feet from Maria and stared into her eyes. "I do know who I'm dealing with! I found that out because I happened to be home when he showed up! I think you know what he is, but you just can't admit it, right? God forbid anyone find out that YOUR SON is nothing but a wife beating, woman hating rapist!" 

"THAT'S ENOUGH! GET OUT!" Maria shrieked at Lucy, who didn't move. It occurred to her that Maria might be as crazy as her son, and she decided to push a few more buttons. 

"Can't handle the truth? Let me fill you in on the truth, Maria. Your son is sick. He slapped me across the face, he punched me, he threw me down on the ground face first." 

"He would NEVER do that!" 

Maria's hysteria actually amused Lucy, and she pressed harder. "That's what people will know about him! That after beating me, watching me bleed, watching me try to crawl away from him did nothing but give him a HARD ON!" Lucy finally began to shriek at Maria, knowing that it was hurting her to hear what Trent really was. "That's what people are going to find out! He wasn't satisfied by beating me, he had to tear me apart! You want to read the report? You want EVERYONE to read it?" 

Backing away from Lucy, Maria shook her head and began to cry. The feeling of being in control for the first time since Trent had appeared in her door gave Lucy a sense of power that she wasn't about to let go of. 

Advancing on Maria, Lucy continued. "I'll make sure that he never forgets what he did to me! I said no, I begged him to leave me alone, I begged him to not hurt me, and do you know what he did? Do you?" Still crying, Maria shook her head. 

"He bounced my head off the floor so I couldn't fight him! That's what your son is, Maria! He's beat Mandy for years, and you knew about that. But you always managed to protect him. YOU CAN'T PROTECT HIM NOW, DO YOU HEAR ME?" Shaking her head, Lucy stood right in front of Maria and stared into her eyes. "He beat me, he raped me, and I'm going to make him pay for it!" 

"WHAT DO YOU WANT?" Maria finally screamed at Lucy, completely hysterical. 

The shrill tone of her voice finally got through to Lucy, who stopped and back up a step. Shaking, Lucy licked her lips and let her voice drop to a whisper. "I didn't come here for this." 

"Then why did you come here?" Maria continued to cry. 

"I came here to tell you to call it off. All of it. The assault charges against Kevin, the malpractice suit. Stop it now, or I promise you he'll regret it." 

"What good will it do? I mean, what are you willing to do if I make him let it go?" Maria looked at her. "You just told me you're going to get him, what will it get him if he agrees?" 

Thinking for a moment, Lucy finally answered her. "I'll agree to the plea. He won't walk the streets for a while, but I'll go for some nice, cushy psychiatric facility. I'll agree to some kind of felony, I'm not letting him just walk away. But if he lets Kevin go, I won't push for a sex crime. He'll have a record, but he won't have to register as a sex offender anywhere he goes for the rest of his life." 

"He can't plead to a felony." 

"He can't NOT plead to a felony!" Lucy advanced again and glared. "You just don't get this, do you? Check with your attorney. I have friends in very high places, but I also have friends in very low places. It doesn't matter where he goes, or what he does, I'll find him. I'm NOT spending the rest of my life looking over my shoulder, do you want him to? Because he'll have to, if he doesn't let this go. Ask anybody about those names I gave you. Can't prove a thing by it, but you will get a good idea of what's coming." 

Turning, Lucy headed for the door. "Call Scott when you're ready. But I'll warn you I'm not really a patient person." As she reached the door, she looked at Maria one more time. "I protect myself and the people I love. Just like you do. Remember that. And remember this: I don't ever want to lay eyes on you or your SON again." 

  
As soon as Lucy was gone, Maria picked up the phone and called Schneider. 

His voice mail was short, so she simply left a message asking him what Lucy's connections to the men she'd mentioned was and hung up. 

  
Scott was headed for the park to look for her when his cell rang. 

Grabbing it, he answered it without looking at it. "Yeah." 

"Scott?" 

"Lucy?!" He wasn't really convinced it was her.

"Yeah. I guess I-" 

"Where are you?! Do you have any idea how worried we are about you?" 

"I'm sorry. I-"

"Nevermind that! Where are you?"

"If you'll stop yelling at me, I'll tell you. Are you alone?" 

"Yeah." 

"Good. Meet me at the firehouse. And DON'T tell Kevin." 

"Lucy, what are you up to?" 

"I'll tell you when I see you." 

Scott sighed. "I can't just not tell Kevin. Lucy, he's going nuts trying to find you."

"I'll call him. But I need to talk to you alone." 

Her voice was quiet, and Scott was instantly worried. "What did you do?" 

"When you meet me!" She hung up.

Mumbling to himself about her finally losing it, Scott drove to the firehouse. 

  
The phone rang and Maria ran to grab it. 

"That was a strange message. Care to tell me why you want to know about these men?" 

"I have my reasons." She wasn't ready to tell Schneider what had happened. "What do you know?" 

"Well, the list is a strange one." 

"But they're all connected to her, aren't they." It wasn't question. 

"Yeah. In some way, shape or form." Schneider shuffled some papers. "Damian Smith was the son of Frank Smith, who was big time in the mob. He was her ex boyfriend, and it ended pretty badly, from what they found." 

"Where is he?" 

"Dead. She was questioned, but the murderer was never found." 

Maria sighed. "The others?" 

"Ryan Chamberlain is dead. Messy fire, while trying to kill his brother, who is Kevin Collins. Rex Stanton was married to her briefly. Apparently he tried to kill her and now he's in jail for a long time. David Bordisso went after Jax Cosmetics, which is her company. He also had something to do with her disappearing for a short time a few summers ago. Her boyfriend at the time, Scott Baldwin-" 

"Her lawyer now." Maria interrupted him. 

"Same. He was arrested, Bordisso was arrested, it's pretty confusing in what little bit that was actually discovered. But the end result is that David Bordisso was shot in the head." 

"Did she do it?" 

"Questioned, but never charged. And it's still unsolved." Schneider started to think about all this information in one spot for the first time. 

"What about those other mob guys?" Maria was almost afraid of the answer.

"Joe Scully. Really bad guy. She was going to testify against him for drug trafficking. Apparently he kidnapped her and....." He scanned a few pages and finished. "Sonny Corinthos and Luke Spencer brought her back." 

"Sonny Corinthos?" Maria stammered. "I KNOW he's in the mob. He's all over the papers all the time." 

"Allegedly. End of that story is that Joe Scully was never seen again, and a few weeks later, a serious street war over territory began." 

"Was it over territory, or over her?" 

Schneider began to see where this was going. "It was over the fact that Scully's people thought, or knew that Corinthos had something to do with Scully's disappearance. That was over her. But the war started over Scully. Maria, who gave you these names?" 

"It doesn't matter. What about the other mob guys?"

"Both involved in some way with her, both dead. She was questioned in connection to Victor, but Julian was shot by an associate. I'd say it's VERY important how you got these names. I mean, in the chronological order in her life, it looked like she just had very bad taste in men. But here, together.." Schneider sighed. "The woman has one hell of a hit list." It hit Schneider. "She gave you these names, didn't she. You've talked to her." 

Maria didn't answer him. 

"Maria, there are laws about her threatening you. She can't intimidate you." 

"What are you going to do? Call her friend, the Police Commissioner and ask him to arrest her?" Maria was beginning to get hysterical again. "Or maybe the mob king of Port Charles, who ALSO happens to be her friend. Think he'll help take care of her?" 

"Maria, calm down. I'll agree with you that she's connected. All over the place. And I can see you not wanting Trent to be next on her list. But we can do something about what she did to you." 

"But what can we do about Trent being on her list!? I'd say he definitely crossed her." Maria remembered Lucy's words. 

Schneider had no idea what to say. He'd seen the names in the reports, but hadn't put it together like this before. The names on it were pretty big, and he doubted Lucy would have any trouble seeing to it that Trent met with a pretty similar fate. But there was no way to prove she had anything to do with any of the other names, so that meant the woman definitely knew how to cover her tracks. 

Schneider's silence only confirmed Maria's fears. "What do I do?" 

"I can't tell you that. You have to decide."

Tears came and Maria began to cry. "What if we give her what she wants?"

"Why don't you tell me exactly what she said, and we'll see what we can do with it." 

"NO!" Maria hung up the phone and stared at it as if it would bite her. She had a lot of thinking to do, and not very much time to do it in.

  
"YOU WHAT?!" Scott advanced on Lucy, who had been pacing around the room for almost ten minutes before admitting that she went to see Maria Davis. 

"I had to do something, Scott." She backed away from him as he moved towards her. 

"YOU HAD TO WHAT, LUCY? WHAT DID YOU DO TO THE WOMAN?" His voice was echoing in the firehouse, and he moved quicker so he could get to her. "ARE YOU TRYING TO GET YOURSELF THROWN IN JAIL?"

Reaching her, he grabbed her arm, and she tried to jerk away from him. When he gripped her arm tighter, she swung at him with her other arm. "Let go! Let go of me! Let go! Let go!"

At first he continued to hold her, but she began to panic. Remembering what he'd done to her in the hospital, he released her and backed away from her. "Okay! I let go. Now talk to me! I need to know exactly what you did." 

At first she couldn't. Her heart was pounding and she could barely breathe. 

Recognizing the look on her face, Scott backed away farther and watched her. The look on her face scared him. 

Fighting to catch her breath, Lucy finally sat down. "I had to, Scott. I'm not going to let them hurt us anymore." 

"You had to what?" It was a struggle to keep his voice down, but he sat on the opposite end of he sofa and looked at her. 

"I. I didn't threaten her. Not her." 

"DON'T TELL ME-" She jumped when his voice raised, and he lowered it, gritting his teeth through every word. "you threatened him?" 

"Not really." Hugging herself, she closed her eyes for a moment and took a deep breath. "I just mentioned a few people that I thought she should be aware of." 

"Like who?" 

She shrugged, and Scott knew that it wasn't a good sign. Moving closer, Scott stared at her. Finally her eyes met his and she gave him the list that she'd basically used on Maria.

After listening to her, Scott sighed. "You just gave her names. You didn't admit to anything?" 

Her eyes flashed angrily, which Scott took as a good sign. "I'm a little nuts right now, but I'm NOT stupid!" 

Standing, Scott paced around the room, thinking about what Lucy had said. "You just told her what, exactly?" 

"I told her to check out what happened to people that pissed me off." She shrugged. 

Scott's eyes met her for a minute, his mind still working. Suddenly he began to laugh. Once he did, he couldn't stop, and finally, when Lucy was looking at him like she was contemplating his sanity, he sat on the chair next to her end of the sofa and sighed. "Only you, Lucy."

"Only me, what?" 

Still laughing, Scott reached out and put his hand on her knee. "You're not stupid, and I gotta tell you, when you get a little nuts, you're about this far" He held his fingers up about an inch apart. "on the other side of genius." 

"What do you mean?"

"I mean that you have the WORST taste in men of any woman I've ever met. Myself included on occasion. And only you, the wonder woman of spin control can make it sound like you're some kind of black widow." 

Her eyes met his, contemplating whether he was complimenting her or insulting her. "Black widow?" 

"Yeah! You know, they mate and they kill?" 

The thought disgusted her, and it showed all over her face. "I never MATED with.....eeeeewwww!" 

"I know. I know. Drop it, all right?" Scott tried to get her mind back on the subject. "The point is, did it work?" 

"I think so. She asked me what he had to do to avoid being next on my list?" Smiling slightly, she shrugged. 

"Good. Let's see what she does now." Scott ran down the list again. "I just hope that..." 

"What?" 

"Some of those cases you threw in her lap are still technically open, Lucy. And you WERE a suspect for a few of them, remember?"

"Of course I remember. And you got me cleared from most of them, remember that?"

"Except for Damian Smith and Joe Scully. I wasn't around for those. I have no idea what the evidence was for them." 

"I was only questioned in connection with Damian. And Sonny took care of Joe Scully." 

"Sonny? As in Corinthos?"

She nodded.

Standing, Scott paced around the sofa. "Great. We know how great Sonny is at covering his own back. But we also know what happens to the women-" 

"Scott, STOP! I don't want to do this right now." 

"Well, you started this round, Lucy. You threw an open murder investigation in their laps, and your only defense is Sonny?" 

Lucy sighed to herself. He was right. She'd started this round, and now she was stuck with Scott's reaction. 

  
Kevin stared at Victor. "Why hasn't she come home yet?" He'd searched everywhere he could think of, and finally ended up back at her house. 

"Monk, calm down. She will when she's ready." 

"All she said was that she was with Scott! We know how considerate of her feelings Scott is!"

Victor knew that this had more to do with Kevin's feelings then Lucy's, but he said nothing.

"I don't understand. She hasn't wanted me out of her sight since it happened! Now suddenly I'm the last person she wants to see?" Kevin's eyes met Victor's. "What if I did something?" 

"Stop it!" Victor grabbed Kevin's arms and looked at him. "You didn't do anything. She loves you, you love her. If you want her to tell you what's going on in her head, you need to give her some space. Monk, you're a psychiatrist. Step back and BE one for a minute." 

"I can't! I can't be the least bit objective with her, and you know it!" 

"So does she!" Taking a deep breath, Victor tried again. "She knows when she's in pain, you're in pain. Maybe that's all this is about." 

"That she's hurting and she doesn't want me to help her?" 

"Maybe she's in pain and she knows you can't make it go away, and she knows how much that hurts you." Victor shrugged. "Maybe she's right. Maybe you need a break so you CAN help her when she comes home." 

That made sense to Kevin. "Okay. So I wait until she's ready." It was obvious how much he didn't like that, but at least he was willing to think about it. 

Nodding, Victor smiled. "Now you're getting it. I know you don't doubt what the two of you feel for each other. Lucy trusts her instincts, and it's time you showed her that you do, too." 

Sighing, Kevin turned and looked out the window. He looked so much like a pouting child that Victor had to stifle a laugh. He didn't like being shut out, and he DEFINITELY didn't like the fact that Scott wasn't as shut out as he was.

"This isn't...jealousy, is it?" Victor had to ask. 

"NO!" Loud and sharp, Kevin turned to him. "She loves me. I know that. I just want to help her." 

"You are. You're letting her do what's right for her." 

Kevin stared at Victor for a long moment, hoping he was right. "I just..." 

"I know. And so does she. When she's ready, she'll come home." 

  
"I need to know if Schneider can stir up anything with Joe Scully!" 

"I told you that Sonny-" 

"I know. I know! Sonny took care of it. That's not an answer, Lucy." 

"Scott, you don't know Sonny-" If looks could kill, Lucy would have never made it off the sofa. "I know all about Sonny and Karen, and I'm not defending him for that! She was a child, and Sonny knew better. But Sonny has always been good to me." 

"What did he want from you?"

Sighing, Lucy shook her head. "I don't want to talk about it with you." 

"Well, you better! You just gave them your head on a silver platter if there's any way to-" 

"I DIDN'T! They can't do anything. Garcia and Mac questioned me!"

 "But SONNY took care of it, right?"

"Sonny and Luke saved my life, Scott." The minute she said it, she regretted it. Luke was just as low on Scott's list as Sonny. "Look, I know exactly how you feel about both of them, and why. But they have both been there for me when I needed them. When Joe Scully tried to destroy Deception, it was Luke and Sonny who helped me. When Joe kidnapped me and tried to kill me, they were the ones that found me and got me back. When Kevin went to jail, Luke and Sonny were there for me then, too. They both offered to do anything they could to help me when I needed them." Tears filled her eyes, and she stared at him. "For a while, they were the ONLY ones." 

"Because I bailed on you, right?" His tone was sarcastic, as if she were accusing him. 

"NO!" Standing, Lucy moved to stand in front of Scott. "This is NOT important. Sonny took care of that, and Maria's lawyer can't do anything about it. And you don't want to know what Sonny would do to that bastard-" 

"Don't go there." Scott stared at her for a moment, then he smiled again. "I do know, and I'm sure Maria does, too." 

"That was the point, you know?"

Before Scott could answer her, the phone rang. Picking it up, Scott held his finger up to his lips for Lucy to be quiet. "This is Scott Baldwin. Yeah. I'll be there in an hour." Hanging up, he turned to Lucy. "That was Dara. Schneider wants to meet us in her office in an hour." 

Lucy was afraid to get her hopes up, but Scott went to her and smiled. "I think it worked." 

"Really?" Her eyes searched his for reassurance. 

At first, Scott reached for her, but then he thought about it and stopped. Slowly, Lucy moved into his arms and wrapped her arms around him. 

Holding her, Scott stroked her hair. "I think you did it, Lucy. I think you scared them." 

  
About a half hour later, Lucy walked through the front door of the house and as she turned to shut the door behind her, Kevin was behind her. When she turned back, he was so close he actually startled her. 

"I'm sorry." He stepped back. "I was so worried about you." 

"I'm sorry." 

"Don't. Just tell me you're okay." 

"I'm okay." She gave him a small smile, and she could see how relieved he was. 

"Lucy, tell me what you need." 

Confused, she just looked at him. 

"If I pushed you, if I made you uncomfortable, just tell me." 

"What?" She stared at him for a moment, then shook her head. "You didn't do anything. Doc, I didn't take off like that because of you. I'm sorry if I made you feel that way. I just...." She really didn't want to tell him until she was sure of what was going to happen, but she realized that if she didn't tell him, it would hurt his feelings. 

"I was afraid you'd….." Unable to meet her eyes with what he'd been thinking, he turned and walked away from her. 

"You thought I'd gone after him, right?"

"I should have known better, right?" 

She could hear how guilty he felt in his voice. "Doc, I did threaten to do it a few times before I took off. And you never know what I'm going to do next, right?" 

His eyes met hers, and she felt ten times worse. Her words had sounded sarcastic to him, and he thought she was angry. "This isn't coming out right. And it has to. I just don't know how or where to...." She shook her hands in frustration, and he moved closer to her again. 

"Start with what you were thinking. Ian said you weren't making sense." 

"I wasn't making sense to myself at that moment. The only thing that kept going through my mind was getting away." 

"From me?"

She shook her head. "NO! Not you, really. From everything. The reporters, the papers, the way everybody was staring at me. I guess even myself. I wanted to get away from all of it." 

"Where did you go?"

"I gotta tell you. I did think about going to Mercy. I jumped in a cab and actually headed there at first. I wanted to kill him. I really did." 

"I know you did. That's why I was so afraid of where you'd gone." Kevin's voice was soft and he reached out for her hands to still them. 

Squeezing his hands with her own, she took a deep breath. "I went after his mother." 

His hands tensed in hers for a moment. "If you can't tell me because of legal-" 

"NO!" She shook her head. "The woman is still ALIVE, for God's sake, Doc. I'm a little out there, even for me, right now, but I didn't KILL anyone." 

"I'm sorry." 

"Stop apologizing, please? Just let me tell you what happened, and what I think it going to happen." Pulling him with her, she sat on the sofa and faced him. 

  
Schneider was waiting for Scott when he got there. Glaring at him, he gestured for them to move into Dara's office. "We have a few minutes to ourselves." 

"Fine by me." Scott entered the office and sat down. "I take it there's something on your mind." 

"You do realize that intimidating a witness is against the law." 

"Intimidating a witness?" Scott stared blankly at him. 

"We both know what your friend did to my client. But we both also know she's had her share of trouble, and she knows how to cover her tracks. Probably learned from the company she keeps. Stalkers, murderers, mob associates-" 

"There's no law against having bad taste in men." Shrugging, Scott waited for the other lawyer to get to his point. 

"You're on that list as well. I guess you count yourself lucky to be alive." 

"Well, I'm a lawyer. The company I keep is worse then the company she keeps. Same as yours." Scott made his point and stopped. 

Schneider sighed. "Okay, I know what he did, you know what she did. Our job is to make it go away. How are we going to do this?"

Scott knew it was almost over, and he smiled. 

  
"And Scott started laughing?" 

"Yeah." She nodded. "It's a pretty scary list, you know?"

"Yeah, I know. I lived some of it with you, remember?" He smiled at her for a moment, then shook his head. "And Scott thinks it worked?"

"He's meeting with Schneider as we speak." She shrugged. "He knows I won't sign anything until they drop the charges against you and the malpractice suit." 

"What about you?"

"What about me?" Lucy stared at him and shrugged. "I'm fine." 

"You're worried about me and the hospital. I'm worried about you." 

"I knew where this was headed, and so do you. He was going to be declared unfit to stand trial. His lawyer could have dragged this out for years. Not to mention wanting you to go to jail-" 

"There you go again, Lucy." Keeping his voice soft, he touched her face. "Look at me. Do you hear yourself? This isn't about me. What's happening to me is happening because of what I did. Not you." 

"Doc, I don't know what you want me to say."

"I don't want you to say anything, Lucy. I just want you to do whatever you need for YOURSELF. Not me, or the hospital." 

"This was for me, don't you get that?" Standing, Lucy began to pace around the room. "A big part of why I've been freaking out so much is that all I could see was HIM controlling my life. And I was letting him! I was reacting to everything he did. We all were. I couldn't breathe, I couldn't think. I lived like this for months and I refused to let him make me live like that again! And I couldn't do it. I couldn't stand having someone else controlling my life like that again!" 

"Like what?" Kevin had no idea where she was coming from. 

"Being AFRAID! Afraid of what was coming, afraid of what people were going to find out, afraid of EVERYTHING! I finally got so scared I was angry. And you know me, I don't wait around for things. I make them happen. I was so afraid of him winning that I had to make a move. Why can't I explain that to you? Why can't you understand that it was like DV all over again! And I WOULDN'T live like that! I couldn't." She paused, but only to take a breath, and started again before he could get a word in. "But I guess I just go off and do stupid things, right? I mean I know I did with DV, and I made a lot of people really mad at me, but not this time! This time I think I did it right. I really think I did."

"DV?" Kevin stared at her. 

She stared at him, and he realized that she hadn't known she'd said it. Sighing, she nodded. "Yeah. I hadn't realized it until just now. But that's what I've been. I guess.. I don't know." She sighed again and sat down. "I think I've started to feel that way again, and I swore I'd never live that way again." 

"What way?" Kevin knew what DV had done to her, but he couldn't see the similarity.

"Being afraid of what he was going to do next. I mean, Trent isn't following me around like DV did, but he was still attacking me through the people I care about. Using what happened to hold over my head. I was just as afraid and he had just as much power over me."

"Following you around?" Moving closer, Kevin realized that there was a lot more to this then he ever knew. 

Shaking her head, Lucy shrugged. "It doesn't matter." 

"Obviously, it does. Why does this remind you of David Bordisso?"

"After.... New York." Her eyes met his for a moment and dropped to the ground. 

Seeing how ashamed she still was of what had happened to her, Kevin reached for her hands and held them. 

"I didn't want anyone to know what I'd done. I wanted to forget it. But I couldn't. He wouldn't let me."

"What do you mean HE wouldn't?" 

"I mean he wouldn't. Every time I turned around, he was there. He was threatening to tell everyone. Then he had Scott arrested. Then he made me drop the charges against him, and it was this never ending 'what is he going to do to me next', and I hated it! I can't tell you what it was like. I mean, it was like this constant game of push me around and see how far he could push. And I couldn't push back. I hated it! That's how I felt today. Like they were pushing me, and I couldn't push back. I had to do something, can you understand that? I mean, everybody already knew what happened, and it's not like he's going to be sending you videotapes or anything like that, so I mean I really had nothing to lose, and I had to do something. I couldn't-"

"Video tapes?" Kevin looked at her, thinking she was really reaching. Until her eyes met his, and she jumped to her feet. "Lucy?" His mind was racing through everything she'd said and trying to figure out what she hadn't said. 

Walking away from him, she stared out the window. "I panicked and just did it. You know that's what I always do. I had to do something."

Moving towards her, Kevin met her eyes in the reflection of the window. "What were you going to say about videotapes?" 

"Nothing. I wasn't going to say anything." Her eyes dropped from his. "I didn't mean to say anything about them." 

"Them." Kevin still didn't understand, but he suddenly felt like it was important that he did.

She tried to walk past him, but he reached out to her and gently touched her face. "I'm trying to understand, Lucy, but I can't with only pieces here and there. Talk to me." 

"I couldn't tell anyone. So anything DV did or said I couldn't do anything about it. He cornered me every time I turned around. He made me drop the kidnapping charges after Scott was arrested for stealing his plane. He kept telling me that he'd tell everyone what I'd done with him if I didn't walk out on Scott. And for months, I was right where I felt like I was this morning. And he loved having that power over me. I did everything I could think of, trying to buy myself some time to figure out what to do. But I couldn't find anything to use against him. So he got me right where he wanted me before he decided to use what he had on me."

"He told Scott." Kevin stared at her. 

"No. He knew Scott wouldn't believe him, and I couldn't admit what I'd done to myself, let alone Scott. I just wanted to forget it. So, I would have probably denied everything. Maybe. I don't know. All I knew was that I didn't want to find out what I'd do, and I did some pretty horrible things to try to avoid it." 

Kevin realized that she'd said she wanted to forget it ever happened every time she'd talked about Trent, and she'd tried to do the same thing with DV. But DV hadn't let her. And know her own mind wouldn't let her forget Trent. "But you finally told Scott. Once he knew, DV couldn't do anything to you." 

Biting her lip, she shook her head. "He had to make sure he had me right where he wanted me. He had to prove that I couldn't win, and if I did, I'd regret it. Don't you see? If I won in court against Trent, he would use that to win against you. Or he won the malpractice suit, and sat in Ferncliff for ten years while his money earned interest. Either way, I couldn't win. Again." 

"I'm still not getting this. You and Scott did win against DV." 

"Yeah, but I'll never feel really safe. Scott was sure he." Taking a deep breath, Lucy finally had to say it. She hadn't let herself think about it in two years, but it was there, and she had to say it to him. "I didn't tell Scott, and neither did DV. He sent Scott.. He sent IT to the firehouse. And Scott got to it before I did." 

It clicked in Kevin's mind, and for a moment, he couldn't say it either. "Videotape." 

Taking a deep breath, Lucy nodded and struggled to say it. "Of... Eve White... Making... Love... with David Bordisso." Turning around, she stared out the window and shook her head again. "Me having sex with DV."

Closing his eyes, Kevin took her shoulders and leaned his head against hers. "I'm sorry." He whispered in her ear. 

"In all the years I've known Scott, I've never seen him that angry or hurt. That I... Did that... and didn't tell him." 

"He was angry at YOU?!" Kevin couldn't help himself. 

"At first. I mean, he cooled off and came back, but it just blindsided him." Lucy's voice was flat, like she was no longer paying attention to the conversation. Or she couldn't pay attention to the topic, Kevin wasn't sure. "But that feeling of waiting for the next move. Being afraid of what it's going to be. I couldn't stand to be there again. I'm going to be there with DV for the rest of my life because of those damn tapes." 

The full impact of what she was saying hit Kevin, and he closed his eyes for a minute. "Oh, god, Lucy." 

She shrugged. "Scott thinks he found them all, but how can I ever be sure? I'll never let anyone get that much power over me again. I had to do something. I had a good motive. My method wasn't that great, but it's been worse. You know that." Turning, she looked at him. "You of all people know that." 

He'd said that to her the day Scott had been arrested, but he'd had no idea what she'd been up against. She'd accused him of thinking she was getting what she deserved when she when she'd dropped the charges against DV. It all came together in his mind, and suddenly he felt like he'd not only abandoned her when she needed a friend, he'd stuck the knife in her deeper. "I had no idea what was going on, Lucy. If I'd known..." 

"Nobody knew, and I wanted to keep it that way!" She turned to face him. "What, you wouldn't have hated me for the way I attacked Eve? Come on, Doc. Even I admit I was way out of line then. I was in a panic and I didn't care what I had to do to stop DV. It was the same thing today. I couldn't think. I couldn't breathe. All I knew was that I had to stop this and I didn't know how else to do it." 

"Scott thinks it worked, right?"

"I don't know. They called him, and Schneider wants to meet with him in Dara's office." She looked at him. "I guess they're either going to settle this or press charges against me." 

Taking her in his arms, Kevin thought about everything she'd said. "Don't even joke about that, Lucy." He held her and stroked her hair. "Did you ever... talk to anyone about New York?"

"I told Gail. And you." She shrugged. 

"Oh, yeah, I did you a lot of good." Kevin's voice was sarcastic. "I jumped on the idea to use it to put on a show for DV." He shook his head. "I jumped on the idea to use you." Sighing, Kevin held her tighter. "I never once thought about what it would do to you. I'm so sorry." 

Pulling away from him, Lucy shook her head. "Doc, I'm over what happened with DV." 

"You were until a few days ago." Staring into her eyes, he could see her trying to find an argument. But she couldn't. "Lucy, I had no idea what DV had put you through. I didn't listen when you told me." 

"Don't. You're listening now. And you're helping me." Touching his face, she inched closer to him and kissed him softly. She could see how badly he felt about it, and she sighed. "I didn't tell you this to make you feel bad, Doc. Really I didn't."

"I know that. You'd never remind me of terrible things I've done to you. Even when you should." 

"Please stop. I shouldn't have said anything. But you asked, and it's been on my mind, and-" 

"I asked because I wanted to know. I would have never understood the connection with what you're feeling if you hadn't told me, and I'm glad you did. I just feel like I should have asked you two years ago." 

"Why? I was Scott's problem, not yours." 

"Because even when we weren't lovers, I considered us friends. And I guess I'm realizing that you were a much better friend to me than I was to you." 

Now she sighed, and she held his face in her hands. "I'm sorry I said anything. I know you want to understand, so understand this. What happened two years ago between us doesn't matter. All that matters is right here. I love you. You're here, you're asking, and you're helping me. And that means everything to me." 

He touched her hands for a moment before wrapping his arms around her. "You are everything to me, Lucy. I just wish I had done more then, and that I could do more now." 

"You can't, Doc." Beginning to cry, she held him tighter. "You're doing everything you can, and I love you for it." 

He held her and kissed her head softly. "I love you." 

After a few moments, she pulled away. "You know, Scott's going to call us as soon as he finds out what's going on. It could be over tonight." 

Hopefully, she turned to him, but he stared into her eyes. They both knew that the legal end of it might be over tonight, but it wouldn't really be over for her for a long time. 


	12. Surviving Loves Obstacles Chapter 12

Slowly, Kevin tried to shift on the sofa. Lucy was literally balanced against his shoulder and chest, and he didn't want to wake her. Using his hands to support her, he turned his body so she could completely lay against him. She stirred and he watched her to see if she'd wake. 

Her eyes opened and looked at him. 

"Sorry." 

She mumbled something and snuggled closer. 

Smiling, he wrapped his arms around her and held her. Someone pounded on the door and she instantly tensed and jumped. They pounded again and she pushed off Kevin to stand. Kevin doubled over from her shoving on his stomach and she leaned down to him. "I'm sorry, are you okay?" 

"Fine." He couldn't really catch his breath yet, but he pointed to the door. "Get it." 

When Lucy opened the door, Scott's hand was raised to pound on her door again. Grabbing him by the jacket, she literally dragged him into the room. "Well? What happened? You met with him, right? What did he say?" 

Prying her hands from him, Scott held them and looked from her to Kevin, who had finally made it to his feet, and was standing behind her. She was still firing questions at him, and he tensed as she pulled on his hands. He stared at Kevin, who shrugged, and back to her. Meeting her eyes, he glared at her until she stopped. "You done?"

"SCOTT!" Intending to slap him, she tried to pull her hands away from him, but he held her until she got quiet. 

"You better hope he lives a fairly long healthy life." 

"What? Why?" 

"Because if he so much as sprains his wrist, the cops are gonna be all over you." 

Moving closer, Kevin reached for her shoulders and looked at Scott. "How much trouble is she in?"

"I didn't say she was IN trouble. I said she would be if anything happened to him." Scott looked at her. "Because they are scared to death of you and your friends." He smiled at her. 

"AND?" She jerked on his hands again. 

"You tell me how this sounds to you. Felony Assault, 2nd degree, 8 years suspended provided he remains in a residential inpatient treatment facility, with a follow up outpatient treatment to be determined when he's released. 5 years of probation, which starts AFTER he's released. That means he has to check in with his probation officer and the probation officer gets reports to be sure that he's following the outpatient treatment." Before she could start again with the questions, he pulled on her hands to stop her and continued. "A peace bond for you, and Mandy, if she wants it. He gets a felony record, and if he violates ONE of the conditions of the plea, he goes to jail for 8 years." 

"What about Kevin and the hospital?" Lucy's mind was absorbing everything Scott said to her, but she was more worried about Kevin. 

"You want everything, don't you." 

"Scott! I'm not signing ANYTHING until this is over for Kevin and GH! What about them!" She jerked on his hands again so hard he lost his balance. 

Sighing, Scott looked over her head and at Kevin for a moment. "Okay, how's this. The charges against Kevin and the malpractice lawsuit are dropped." 

Lucy was speechless, which shocked both men. Scott took the moment and smiled at her. "Schneider's really pissed about that one." 

"I bet he is, he doesn't get paid, right?" Kevin wasn't ready to believe it, and he squeezed Lucy's shoulders as he spoke. 

"Well, he sends a bill, but I doubt he'll ever see a whole lot of it." 

His words finally sank in to Lucy. "It's over? I mean, this whole thing is over?" 

"As far as the legal system, yeah. As soon as all the papers are signed." Scott watched her carefully, waiting for her reaction. 

"If he comes near me again, he goes to jail?" 

"8 years." 

"It's over." Lucy whispered it to herself. "No more headlines, no more reporters, no more waiting to see what's going to happen next." She turned to Kevin as she said the last sentence, and he knew what that meant to her. 

Smiling at her, Kevin shook his head and pulled her into his arms. "It's over." He held her and looked at Scott. 

"Well, I gotta go tell Lee and Alan. Just wanted to tell you first." 

Scott backed towards the door, but Lucy turned to him. 

"Scott.." She was crying as she went to him and wrapped her arms around his waist. 

Returning her embrace, Scott held her against him. "Hey, you did it." 

He whispered in her ear. "Look at me." 

She did, and he smiled. 

"You.. you went off, did something totally crazy, here, I mean really out there, even for you! And it worked! It really worked. One of your hair brained schemes actually worked!" 

Laughing through her tears, Lucy touched his face. "It did, didn't it." 

"Saved his ass, too." Gesturing towards Kevin, he continued. "So stop your crying and be happy about it." As gruff as his voice was, when he wiped her tears from her face, his touch was gentle, and his eyes met hers. "I gotta go get the papers drawn up and tell the board at the hospital." Looking at Kevin, he moved away from Lucy. "I guess the two of you can take it from here?" 

Nodding, Kevin smiled and reached out to shake Scott's hand. "Thanks, Scott." 

"I'm not done yet. As soon as I have the final paperwork, I'll call you for the meeting to sign them. And I'll hook up with Eve tomorrow and get that going." Shaking Kevin's hand, Scott hugged Lucy one more time and left. 

  
Maria stared at Schneider. "This is the best you can do?" 

"Hey, you told me to end this! That was all they'd go for." 

"He has to be put in a hospital!"

"Maria, this is over now as far as I'm concerned, so I'm just going to say it. He NEEDS to be in a hospital! We both know what he did to that woman. And it's NOT my fault he decided to wipe the floor with somebody that has friends from the courthouse to Pentonville! There was more. I just found out. His wife? She went to the prosecution. She was all set to testify about what your beloved son has been doing to her for years." 

Maria glared at Schneider, but said nothing. 

"You do realize that without that piece of information, I would have been eaten alive in a trial? I asked you about her, and you said she wasn't a problem! We would have LOST, Maria." 

"She never would have testified against him." 

"That's not what Baldwin says. He knew quite a bit for someone that hadn't spoken to her. And her on the stand? You would have been lucky to walk away with 10 years. So be glad he's going to some nice padded cell instead of jail. So at this point, my professional advice to you is to have him sign the agreement and make sure he sticks to the conditions." 

"What about her?"

"Baldwin says she'll back off if he does. I'll make sure everything is legal and binding, but I have to tell you that this is the best you're going to do. I do have to disagree with your from a legal standpoint on the malpractice suit and the assault charges against Kevin Collins."

"I can't put Trent in any danger from her or her friends." Maria sighed. "And I don't trust her." 

Schneider was a second away from saying he didn't blame Lucy, but instead he stood. "I'll have the papers to you in a day or so. I would strongly suggest that Trent sign the plea bargain and follow through on the conditions." As he stood, he stared at her. "And I'll have my secretary prepare my bill." 

"You're bill." Maria stared at him. "We aren't going to get any money." 

"Because YOU are dropping the case. That makes YOU responsible for my bill." 

As he left, Maria sighed. She didn't know which way to turn, but she hoped she'd think of something. 

  
The second Scott left, Lucy threw her arms around Kevin's neck. "It's over, Doc." 

"Thanks to you. Lucy, I want you to be sure this is what's right for you." Leaning away from her, he stroked her face. "I want you to stop for a minute. Stop thinking about the assault charges, stop thinking about the malpractice case. Just think about you, and what you want. Are you okay with this?" 

"I'm more than okay, Doc. He's not going to be free. I won't have to worry about running into him. And I won't have to worry about what's on the front page of the paper. All I want to think about is you." 

Pulling him to her, she kissed him. 

At first, he returned her kiss gently, but she held him tighter and deepened their kiss. Her tongue pressed between his lips, demanding to be tasted. The feeling of needing to be close to her overwhelmed him, and he crushed her body to his. His hands roamed her body until he caught her ribs and she inhaled sharply. Instantly pulling away, Kevin stared at her, reminded of what had happened to her. 

"I'm okay." Taking his hands, she pulled him back to her. "I promise. I'm okay." 

Putting his hands on her hips, he held her gently and kissed her again. Her hands traced his chest and she worked her way up to his face. "I love you."

"I love you, too." Kevin returned her kiss, fighting the urge to pull her to him again. She moved closer to him, kissing him passionately. His body reacted to the heat coming from her, and he moved away, taking a deep breath. Taking her face in his hands, he stared at her. 

Their eyes met, and Lucy knew what he was thinking. "I need to be ready for this, Doc." 

"You don't need to push yourself." 

She sighed. "What I need is you. Don't you get it? It's over. I need to take my life back." 

Kevin knew what she was doing, and why she was doing it, but when she moved against him and brushed her lips across his neck, he stopped arguing with her. Being careful to not squeeze her too tightly, Kevin wrapped his arms around her again. In his mind, he knew she was going too fast for her own good, but she was so insistent, he was more afraid of what trying to stop her would do to her. 

An idea occurred to him, and he scooped her into his arms. For a moment she tensed in anticipation of her body protesting, but then she began to kiss him again. Slowly, he carried her into the bedroom and laid her on the bed. 

Lucy took a deep breath to calm herself as he moved to lie next to her. 

He could feel her trembling, and he took her hand gently. Bringing it to his lips, he kissed it. "Talk to me." 

"I don't want to talk." Her throat tightened, and she whispered the words. "I just want to be with you." 

"I'm right here." Moving closer, he kissed her lips gently. 

Touching his face, she returned his kiss and began to relax. His hand traced her face gently before sliding down her neck and across her shoulder. Reaching her arm, he moved his hand down the outside of her arm until his hand was on the back of hers. Lacing his fingers in hers, he squeezed her hand gently. Smiling at him, she squeezed his hand and kissed him again. She was relaxed in his arms, and he reached down to the bottom of her shirt, playing with the edge and watching her. 

Using his arm to pull herself up, she helped him pull her shirt up over her head. Before she could lie back down, he unhooked her bra. As he did, he felt the muscles in her back tense, and he didn't move to take it off of her. Instead, he moved behind her and gently kissed her across her shoulders. Moving her hair, he traced her spine with his lips up to her neck. Smiling, he kissed a spot on her neck that had made her shiver every time since the first time he'd touched her. Sure enough, she shivered, and he laughed softly. 

"Are you teasing me?" Her voice was low, but she was smiling. 

"No." He licked the same spot and she jumped. "That was teasing you." 

Laughing softly, she turned her head and looked at him. Her eyes met his, and he couldn't stop himself. Taking her face in his hand, he pulled her to kiss him. When they're lips met, he slid his hand down her neck and guided her to lie down on her side facing him. The kiss became more passionate, and Kevin had to force himself to refrain from running his hands over her body. Her fingers played with the buttons on his shirt, but she made no move to open them. He knew that she wanted to, but she really wasn't ready. Finally, he glided his hand down her arm to her hand. Squeezing it gently, he moved their hands together to her waist. Kissing her again, he slid his hand under hers against her skin. Gently, as if testing her, he pressed her lips apart and began to explore her mouth with his tongue. Responding to his kiss, she squeezed his hand against her bare skin. 

His hand clenched on her, and she tensed. Leaning away from her, he stared into her eyes. "If you're not okay with this, say so." 

"I'm okay." His face showed that he didn't believe her, and she reached up with her free hand and touched his face. "I need you to help me be okay." 

Slowly, he moved closer to her and kissed her again. The way she returned his kiss told him that she needed his touch as badly as he needed to touch her. Keeping his touch light, he traced her ribs with his fingertips, being careful to not hurt her. As he found the bruises, she pulled away and stared into his eyes. He could see her hesitation, but he could also see how much she loved him. Breaking the eye contact between them, he slid down her body until his face was even with her ribs. As softly as he could, he pressed his lips to her body where the bruise was and kissed her. A shiver ran through her and she reached for his hair. Giving her the chance to stop him, Kevin moved his lips across her lower chest, kissing her as she rolled over on her back. As he moved over her, she threw her bra on the floor next to the bed and closed her eyes. Hesitating slightly, he moved up her body, kissing her softly. The taste of her skin stirred a heat in his body that he was afraid to show her. But he didn't have to. She knew, and she ran her hands through his hair as he moved closer to her. He didn't want to push her, and he made sure to not give any impression of holding her as he slid his hands over her breasts. 

Her eyes were still closed, and she shivered as his tongue slid over her nipple. Forcing her mind to focus on the sensations he was sending through her, she reached for his hand that was barely touching her other breast and squeezed it against her. Taking her cue, he began to massage her deliberately, still not really holding her. She sighed and he moved up to her collarbone, kissing her across the edge of her neckline before moving back up to her lips. This time she clenched his hair and held him closer to her, opening her mouth to him and drawing his tongue into her. 

A moan escaped his throat, and he moved his body closer along the length of her. When she felt his body against her, she broke their kiss and forced herself to take a deep breath. 

Instantly, he moved away from her, but she held him and rolled over against him. When his arms wrapped around her, she snuggled closer and wrapped her leg over his waist. 

"Don't pull away from me. I'm fine." 

As he shifted his body, she could feel him against her. She knew how much he wanted her before she felt how hard he was against her abdomen. His hands traced her spine, and she unbuttoned his shirt to run her hands across his chest. Her lips followed, and when he sighed she pushed her face against him and slid her arms around him under his shirt. Resting his chin on the top of her head, he stared at the wall and held her against him. 

  
"Do you have any idea what time it is?" Alan entered the library and stared at Scott. 

"Well, this had to be taken care of immediately. There's a meeting set for 9AM and you need to know what's going on." 

"What the devil do you want now, Baldwin?" Edward's voice carried across the foyer as he came through the doors. "This couldn't wait until morning? I don't understand why people-" 

"Father!" Alan's voice overrode Edward's. "This has to do with Lucy and Kevin, right?" 

"Yep. And I didn't think you would want to wait until morning to hear it." Scott stared at them for a moment. 

"If it's bad news, I can." Alan gestured for Scott to follow him to the sofa and they sat. 

"Nope. As a matter of fact, it's good news." Pulling papers out of his briefcase, he handed them to Alan. "It's over." 

"What is?" Alan scanned the papers as Scott spoke. 

"The malpractice suit. Davis dropped it. And the charges against Kevin." 

Alan stopped reading and stared at Scott. "He just dropped it." 

"Yep." 

Staring at Scott for a moment, Alan finally put it together. "I have a feeling Lucy has more to do with it then you do. What did she do?" 

"Who cares as long as she made them drop the lawsuits." Edward smiled. "Scott, I never thought I'd say this, but well done." 

"Father, wait a minute. What did Lucy have to do to make this happen?" 

Scott shrugged. "Let's just say she got one over on him." 

"What does that mean?" Alan wasn't happy with Scott's answer. 

"Alan, what difference does it make? Lucy got one over on somebody and it wasn't you for a change." Edward took the papers from Alan and read them. "As long as it was legal, of course." 

"Oh, of course." The sarcasm dripped from Alan's words and he started again. "Lucy dropped the charges, didn't she." 

"She WHAT?" Edward finally looked up from the papers. "Don't tell me that lunatic is going to be running the streets! What if he decides to go after her again?! You better make sure that woman's protected from him, I-"

"Now, Edward.." Scott smiled. "I knew you had a soft spot for Lucy somewhere in that vice grip you call a heart." 

"It's just that….. I wouldn't want…. oh all right. I never wanted to see her get hurt. What did she have to do to get him to drop all the charges?"

"She agreed to the plea bargain." Scott was not about to tell Alan and Edward what Lucy had really done to get them to go along with it. 

"Which is..?" Alan still wasn't sure. 

"He'll be in a hospital for a while, and he'll go to jail for 8 years if he so much as walks down the same street she's on." 

Nodding, Alan sighed. "Is that enough for her?" 

Scott's eyes met Alan's. "Going to court would NOT have been good for her." 

"I got that idea. An investigator did ask me a few questions about her. I didn't give them anything, but.. I have to agree that it would have been a lot worse for her."

"Well, it's over now, so I just needed to get with you and let you know. I also wanted to clear with you that Kevin can come back to work when he's ready." 

"As soon as the final paperwork is signed." Alan smiled. "Whenever he's ready." 

"I'm not saying that it will be tomorrow, Lucy's still pretty shakey." Scott stood. "I just wanted to make sure this was cleared up with the hospital." 

"I'll take this to the board personally first thing in the morning." 

Alan stood. "I appreciate you bringing this over, Scott. I just hope Lucy's okay with it." 

"I think she will be. It's gonna take some time." Moving towards the door, Scott turned to Edward. "I'll tell her how concerned you are about her."

Edward's voice was quiet. "I do hope she'll be okay, Scott." 

  
Kevin was enjoying the feel of her body against him and traced her spine with his fingertips. She shifted against him, and he ran his hand along her side over her hip. The material of her pants was thin enough that he could feel the heat of her body beneath. Reaching her knee, he brought his hand back up the back of her leg. When he reached the curve at the top of her leg, he pulled her closer and squeezed her gently. His hands on her sent shivers through her, and she ran her hand over his chest and up to his face. Her eyes met his, and he leaned closer to kiss her gently. Her mouth opened to him, and slid her body against his. 

Even through their clothes, Kevin could feel her against him, and he moaned softly. Knowing he needed her as much as she needed him, Lucy pulled back enough to push his shirt back off his arm. Shifting so he could remove it, his body pushed slightly against hers. As she felt his weight on her, she wrapped her arms around him again and held him. Unable to stop himself, he kissed her again, this time the kiss was long and hard. His mouth invaded hers, and he entwined his hand in her hair. A shiver ran along the length of her spine and she returned his kiss with an equal passion. Her fingers pressed into the muscles along his back, and she slid her leg between his. When her thigh pressed against him, he moaned again and reached down to hold her and pull her to him. Momentarily forgetting everything except the feel of her body in his hands, he moved his leg between hers and completely enveloped her body with his own. 

As he held her tighter, her leg shifted against him and he moved his lips to her neck. As he did, his thigh moved higher between hers and pressed against her. 

Before she could stop herself, she pulled away and cried out softly in pain. Realizing that he'd caught a bruise that was still very tender, he pulled his legs away from her and reached for her face. 

"I'm sorry." 

Shaking her head, she stared in his eyes. "I'm okay." 

"No, you're not." Before she could argue, he touched her lips with his finger. "Lucy, I know we both want this. We both NEED this. But I WON'T physically hurt you." 

"You won't. I'll be fine." 

Shaking his head, he moved up to lean against the headboard and pulled her into his arms. As she moved over his chest, he stroked her hair. "We both need to give your body a chance to heal." 

She knew he was right, but it still hurt, so she kept her face turned away from him and nodded. 

"Hey." His voice was soft, but she didn't look at him. "Look at me." 

When she didn't respond, he touched her chin and gently turned her face to his. She was trying to stop, but her eyes were filled with tears. "I love you, and you have no idea how badly I want you right now." He smiled at her, and she couldn't resist returning his smile. "But we can't pretend this didn't happen." Her eyes dropped from his, and he held her chin until she looked at him again. "I'm talking about the fact that you're physically hurt. And I won't even take a chance on hurting you any more." 

Unable to answer him, she simply nodded. 

"Come here." Trailing his fingers from her face to her hair, he leaned closer to her and kissed her. His lips gently touched hers, and he deepened their kiss, but only enough to briefly taste her. Shifting again, he laid down and held her against him. "We have forever, Lucy." 

"That sounds so good." Slowly, she turned so her back was against his chest. When he reached around her, she took his arm and held it against her. 


End file.
